Thank you to everyone who braved the wet weather on Saturday morning to speak to me at my coffee morning in Weston, where we focused on something that I know has been plaguing many people – nuisance and antisocial vehicle use. More than 50 of you attended and I was particularly grateful to our local police for taking the time to join and answer your questions.
This is an issue that has been reported to me and raised regularly with police. Nuisance and antisocial vehicle use on Weston Shore and surrounding areas means that people are being woken up, struggling to sleep, and it’s having a real impact on their lives.
So, what happens now?
Firstly, the message from the police was clear – please do continue to report incidents and, where safe, provide footage. This really does help police to assess particular problem spots and help them make the case for additional resources to tackle these issues.
One potential solution discussed was the introduction of “sound cameras”, which record vehicles that exceed a certain noise level and can be used to issue fines. The technology – created by Southampton-based company Intelligent Instruments – has already been trialled successfully elsewhere in the country and I think there is a compelling case for something similar here.
I’ll be talking to the council about whether a trial scheme could be introduced here. There is of course also an opportunity to use some of the £20m Pride in Place funding for this, if that’s what the local community wants.
Together with the new police powers introduced by this government to help police tackle nuisance vehicles, I’m determined to push for improvements and will continue my discussions with you all.