'˜Boy racers' worries on town streets

Dozens of young drivers regularly congregate in the evenings at Friday Street car park opposite the Malt N Hops pub.

A regular drinker at the establishment, who does not want to be named, said: “It’s just crazy – sometimes on a sunny day when people are sat outside they are just whizzing past.

“Someone could be killed.

“It’s most evenings. There are dozens of young kids with souped-up cars. They race around two different loops. It’s been going on for months now.

“About two weeks ago one car was racing round the car park itself and just smashed into two other cars.”

In one ‘circuit’ the drivers race round, they turn left out of the Friday Street car park, take a left down Stump Lane, head down to the main road - the A6 and left again back to the car park through McDonald’s.

Chorley councillor Hasina Khan, who represents Chorley East, said: “When young lads want to go for a race, they come to that car park which is wrong because it’s a busy area.

“It’s been happening a lot recently. They tend to go up Brown Street and Wright Street. A lot of elderly residents live around Brown Street and they tend to get upset about the noise and disruption.

“Beat officers do patrol the area but it’s a case of being at the right place at the right time.”

Now residents are calling for the motorists to slow down, warning that someone’s life could be taken.

Police sergeant Matt Moon, who is responsible for the town centre, said: “We have had no official complaints about this but we are aware that there is an issue. In the past its been something that we monitor as part of our patrols. We will take strong action if anyone is caught committing an offence.”