Special public space protection order extended to clamp down on anti-social car cruisers all over Milton Keynes

A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) has been extended to put the brakes on noisy car cruisers all over MK.

The citywide order was introduced in 2019 and this week the council agreed to extend it for for another three years.

It’s designed to prevent drivers from using Milton Keynes’ grid roads as a hub for noisy and illegal street races, and to deter drivers from causing nuisance at organised car meets in Central Milton Keynes.

Although the PSPO has been launched by council, it can only be enforced by Thames Valley Police – and is reliant upon police having the manpower to attend each gathering and catch the culprits in the act.

Officers hold the powers to issue fixed penalty notices to anyone breaching the order. The fine payable is £100, or £75 if paid within 14 days.

The order covers all car related anti-social behaviours including driving vehicles at excessive speed, sudden acceleration, car racing and performing stunts in a manner likely to cause nuisance.

It also covers drivers who disturb residents by revving engines or popping modified exhausts in a manner likely to cause nuisance.

Councillor Jenny Wilson-Marklew, Labour Progressive Alliance Cabinet member for Community Safety, said: “Car cruising, street racing and deafening exhausts can be a real burden on families who live near to the grid roads. Aside from this, anti-social car cruisers can put themselves, other drivers and pedestrians in real danger by driving at ridiculously high speeds.

She added: “Extending this PSPO will form part of a wider toolkit that officers can use to police car meets, and it can be used alongside stronger measures to deter anti-social car cruisers. The City Council takes a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to anti-social car cruisers, so I hope this sends a strong message to those who decide to use our city as a racing ground.”

The car park at Network Rail’s The Quadrant is a hotspot for car meets, which can attract hundreds of car cruisers each month. Organised events such as these can result in street races, with certain estates in the city being more affected than others.

Households near Standing Way, such as those in Tattenhoe and Emerson Valley, have also raised their concerns, alongside those that back onto the H3, H6 and A509.

Sometimes the unofficial races start late at night and continue into the early hours, residents have complained.

However, Central Milton Keynes remains the main hotspot for anti-social car cruisers. CMK Ward Councillor Ben Nolan (Labour) has welcomed the news of the PSPO extension, saying: “The frequent car meets held in CMK can lead to illegal street races which have a devastating impact on other drivers and people living nearby.

He added: "Residents have told me about sleepless nights because of these races, which isn’t right or fair. So I call on the police to use the powers from the PSPO extension to crackdown and show that there is no place for anti-social car cruisers in our city.”