A BOY racer was arrested just minutes after being disqualified from driving for taking part in dangerous cruises at Lakeside.

Charles Watts, 24, was one of 16 people dealt with by Basildon magistrates yesterday after a police crackdown which saw 80 drivers charged.

WARNING, THE ABOVE CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE, "Essex Takeover 2013 4/5/13 Lakeside GP street Racing drifting"

They were caught at speeds of up to 80mph on a 40mph stretch of dual-carriageway near the shopping centre in Thurrock.

Magistrates gave Watts six penalty points for driving at 67mph, meaning he was automatically disqualified for nine months, as he already had six points on his licence for previous offences of speeding and using a mobile phone while driving.

Sgt Simon Willsher, who led the crackdown, said Watts was later arrested in Westgate, Basildon, on suspicion of driving while disqualified and without insurance.

He will return to court on October 17.

Watts, of Congreve Street, Walworth, south east London, had claimed in court he could not pay his £183 fine as he had just £1 on him.

Boy racer “cruises” take part around Lakeside most weekends, with up to 1,800 cars from as far away as Manchester turning up and hundreds of spectators lining the kerbs to watch.

Since police launched Operation Wagtail in April and May, numbers have dropped significantly, with officers making more progress in the last six months than in the past 15 years.

Sgt Willsher added: “It’s good so many boy racers have been brought to court because it means we can deal with the issue, but at the same time I wish we didn’t have any of them up at all because that would mean we don’t have a problem in the first place.

“We have this issue with cruising all over the county, but we are prioritising Lakeside because of the extra danger of all the pedestrians who line up to watch. In any other situation, many of these people would have been offered speed awareness courses, but we are concerned about how dangerous these drivers are, as much as their speed.”

How magistrates dealt with other cases THE other drivers dealt with in court yesterday were:

AARON LO, 28, of Falcon Way, Basildon, admitted driving his Ford Escort at 65mph but claimed he was not part of the boy racer cruise. The engineer at Ford Dunton was handed six penalty points and ordered to pay a £320 fine, £90 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

JOSEPH TIMOTHY, 19, of Gale Street, Dagenham, was given three points on his licence and ordered to paya£37 fine, £90 in costs and a £20 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to driving his Renault Clio at 48mph on the 40mph stretch of road.

ROBERT COSSINGTON, 23, of Central Avenue, Canvey, was handed three penalty points and ordered to paya£300 fine, £90 in court costs and a £20 victim surcharge after failing to enter a plea. Cameras used in Operation Wagtail spotted him driving his Ford Fiesta at 55mph.

JACK GIDDINGS, 21, of White Hart Lane, Romford, was handed four penalty points, a £400 fine, £90 in costs and a £40 victim surcharge in his absence. Cameras used in Operation Wagtail spotted him driving his Ford Fiesta at 58mph.

PAUL MENDES DE MOURA, 21, of Hagden Lane, Watford, drove his Volkswagen Scirocco at 68mph. He was given six points on his licence and ordered to pay a £400 fine, £90 in costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

STEPHEN MARTINEZ, 27, of Blithbury Road, Dagenham, admitted driving his BMW 3 Series at 47mph. He was handed three penalty points, a £133 fine and ordered to pay £90 in court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

NOEL ARCHER, 36, of Leighton Road, Benfleet, pleaded guilty to driving his Renault Clio at 58mph, but claimed he was not a boy racer. He was given six points on his licence and ordered to paya£73 fine, £90 in costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

ANGEL ELIANOW, 21, of Meachen Road, Colchester, was spotted driving his MG at 53mph.

He was handed three penalty points, a £200 fine and ordered to pay £90 in costs and a £20 victim surcharge in his absence.

JOSH DOYLE, 19, of Links Road, Deal, Kent, denies driving his Seat Leon at 57mph. He will return to Basildon Magistrates’ Courts on October 14.

EDWARD PEARSON, 20, of Marlborough Close, Upminster, admitted driving his Ford Puma at 57mph during the boy racer cruise. He was given five points on his licence and ordered to pay a £172 fine, £90 in court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

STEVEN SMITH, 24, of Fairfield Road, Leigh, pleaded guilty to driving his Vauxhall Astra at 60mph.

He was handed six penalty points, a £327 fine and ordered to pay £90 in costs and a £33 victim surcharge.

KASHWINDER SOOR, 22, of South End, Milton Keynes, was spotted driving his BMW 3 Series at 61mph.

He was given six points on his licence, a £400 fine and ordered to pay £90 in costs and a £40 victim surcharge after failing to enter a plea.

CHRISTOPHER WYSS, 24, of Dene Path, South Ockendon, was handed three penalty points, a £200 fine and ordered to pay £90 in costs and a £20 victim surcharge for driving his Honda at 47mph.

JOSHUA BARKER, 22, of Brampton Field, Aylesford, Kent, pleaded guilty to driving his Nissan at 58mph, but claimed he was not a boy racer. The delivery driver was handed five penalty points and ordered to paya£140 fine, £90 in court costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

PAUL GIBBS, 42, of Purfleet Road, South Ockendon, admitted driving his VW Golf at 55mph, but claimed he was not part of the cruising event.

He was given three points on his licence and ordered to pay a £113 fine, £90 in costs and a £20 victim surcharge