Nightly menace of Trumpington Park and Ride boy racers

Trumpington residents are “in despair” having endured almost a year of anti-social behaviour and late night noise from the nearby Park & Ride site.

Residents of Ploughman Way, which backs onto the recently extended facility, have complained for months about gatherings of drivers racing and practising handbrake turns, motorcyclists pulling wheelies, youths lighting fires and throwing items at houses as well as blaring music, people having sex in vehicles and drug use.

Families say their children can not sleep because of the noise and are terrified of the revving and backfiring cars, but so far police and councillors have been unable to stop the nightly gatherings.

Resident Fernando Pinho, a charity worker, said: “We are in absolute despair about the noise right outside our windows. This has been going on since last year and if the police and council have been working behind the scenes we haven’t seen any effect. I called the police on Sunday night when there were 20 cars and 10 motorbikes all racing around but I stood there for 90 minutes and no one came.

“It feels like they don’t care.”

“When we were sold this house there was a lake between us and the Park & Ride. Now that has gone because the Park & Ride has been expanded and there is no CCTV. If there were some speed bumps maybe it would put the racers off.

“Most of our children’s bedrooms on the street face onto the Park & Ride. They wake up in the night crying and scared because of the noise. I even found one drunk person jumping into my garden and then climbing into my neighbours’ property. I’d like to see someone else try to sleep through this.”

A Cambridgeshire police spokesperson said: “We were called on Sunday evening with reports of anti-social driving at Trumpington Park & Ride. Due to operational demand during the evening, officers were unable to attend at the time. Footage from the evening has been passed to the Cambridge neighbourhood team and patrols of the site were carried out last night (Monday) and will continue throughout the week and weekend.

“The team will also be working with partners including the Park & Ride site to look at security and what measures can be put in place to prevent further incidents.

“We recognise that while to some this kind of vehicle use can be seen as harmless fun, it can have a wider impact on a neighbourhood or community than simply nuisance noise.”