Seven vehicles seized as police crack down on illegal car meets in Wigan

With roads quiet and many businesses, including supermarkets, closed on Monday September 19, organisers of illegal car meets thought it would be a good day to hold them.

But police either obtained intelligence on them or anticipated the plans and so caused major disruption.

A spokesperson for GMP Wigan West said: “Greater Manchester Police attended a number of illegal car meets across the Wigan district on the evening of September 19.

“As a result, some 30 traffic offence reports for various offences were issued.

"Six vehicles were seized under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act and one was seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act.

"Numerous S59 warnings were also issued.

“Robust action will be taken at any future meets.”

Section 59 warnings are issued by the police to motorists driving dangerously and irresponsibly on the public highway or other land, such as by speeding or performing manoeuvres such as handbrake turns.

The details are logged on the Police National Computer and then if the driver is caught behaving badly at the wheel again, the police are entitled to seize their vehicles.

Officers have not specified the locations of the meets, but for years there have been complaints about them taking place in the Newtown Asda car park at times when the store is closed, such as Sunday evenings.

And since the A49 Westwood Way link road opened, this too has become a haunt for boy racers, with other motorists complaining about the dangers they are causing by their antics.

There is a 40mph limit on the stretch between Westwood and Goose Green which is frequently ignored and there are growing calls for speed cameras to be installed.

The link road was built to take traffic away from the often congested Poolstock Lane which itself now has been fitted with various traffic calming measures in order to deter motorists travelling through from using it.