Car cruiser events: Wigan police to re-impose exclusion zones

Officers have discovered new plans to use the A49 link road and Newtown Asda carpark as race tracks over the coming days and say they now plan to disrupt them in the interests of public safety.

Police will enforce a dispersal zone at the carpark and the bypass between its junctions with Warrington Road at Goose Green and Chapel Lane close to the town centre.

Patrols will also be stepped up in those areas.

Unlike last time, Wigan and Leigh Police – GMP has not specified when the orders will be put in place or lifted. When they were imposed last month they ran from teatime on the Friday to early evening Sunday.

A social media post today (March 14) read: “There will be a police presence to enforce the order and positive action will be taken against any individual driving dangerously or carelessly and in an anti-social manner.

"This includes having vehicles seized under the Police Reform Act 2002 and prosecution.

“Furthermore, if you attend any car cruiser events at these locations, your vehicles registration will be noted, and your insurance company will be alerted. This can cause your insurance to increase or to be terminated and can be difficult to get insurance with another company.

"A section 35 Dispersal Order also gives officers additional powers to deal with anti-social behaviour. Officers can issue you a notice to leave the area immediately.

"Failure to do so can lead to your arrest, or if you return to the area after already being issued a warning.”

Both locations have been regularly used for racing meets before, Asda for many years.

The bypass has been the focus of cars being driven at speed, erratically and evend dangerously during meets, putting other road users at risk; while the Asda meets have not only posed a physical threat but also upset residents living nearby with loud engine noises.

As well as there being trouble with car meets, many individuals have also been prosecuted for speeding along the link road since it opened, its having 40 and 30mph limits along its length.