Major crackdown on supercar drivers in Knightsbridge deemed a success with no fines issued

Rex
Jamie Bullen24 January 2016

A crackdown on mega-rich drivers racing through one of London's poshest areas has been hailed a success with no fines dished out since the new rules were introduced.

Kensington and Chelsea council brought in a public spaces protection order in November to tackle irresponsible supercar drivers after sleep-deprived residents in Knightsbridge complained.

Some claimed motorists revved their engines, raced through the streets, performed stunts and sounded their horns to show off their high-performance cars.

Under the new powers, petrolheads face a £1,000 fine if they are caught speeding, revving their engines too loudly, using foul language and playing music too loudly.

And the council said its toughened stance has helped to tackle the problem while also stamping out other offences across the borough.

A Kensington and Chelsea spokeswoman said: "Council enforcement officers and police colleagues patrolled the PSPO area at various times following the launch and no breaches were observed by either the council or police.

"We also received no complaints from the general public.

“Nonetheless, the patrols have been successful in other ways: council officers took enforcement action against numerous unlicensed street traders and helped disrupt some of the illegal gamblers.

"The police had success regarding beggars, gamblers, theft, shop lifting, breach of bail and drug offences."

However, despite the good start the council said it was making plans for the summer when more anti-social behaviour is expected.

The spokeswoman added: "We acknowledge that the busiest time of year is usually in the summer months, however we were expecting some activity over the Christmas period as in previous years.

"It may be that the publicity regarding the PSPO and the increased officer presence went some way to significantly reducing this vehicle-related ASB.

“Officers are looking to adjust their patrol hours to see if problems are experienced at different times, and we will undertake a fresh communication campaign and new timetable of enforcement patrols closer to the summer.”

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