A SPECIAL legal order is being considered to put to bed a ‘decade-long’ issue with boy racers and car meets at Pitsea flyover.

Basildon Council’s Enforcement and Public Order Committee will tonight meet to discuss implementing a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to address residents’ long-running concerns over anti-social driving in the area.

Groups of car enthusiasts have been gathering at Pitsea flyover, near the Old Market site, on Friday and Saturday nights for years. Leader of the council Andrew Baggott previously said the issue had been ongoing for “about a decade”.

He added: “There’s some groups that go just show off their cars. Some of the others are like Fast and Furious. They speed up and down turning the road into a bit of a racetrack. It’s not only dangerous, it’s anti-social.”

Councillors have received numerous complaints from residents concerning anti-social behaviour associated with the car meets near the Old Market site, which run late into the evening, with issues ranging noise from noisy car stereos, and the revving of engines at unsociable hours.

A new PSPO is currently being drafted by the council, due to be ready before the end of the year. Tonight, councillors will vote whether to include the Old Market site in the PSPO.

The PSPO targets various anti-social driving behaviours’ such as causing danger to road users by speeding or racing, risk of damage to property, performing stunts such as doughnuts and drifting, sounding horns or playing loud music, and loud revving of engines.

The order gives council officers the powers to issue on-the-spot fines to anyone breaking those rules and, if the fine goes unpaid, the culprit may be prosecuted.

The PSPO will be reviewed every three years and the council says it is working to ensure the order does not have the adverse effect of moving the car meets to other parts of the borough.

Earlier this year, Essex Police confirmed they were patrolling the area, enforcing a section 59 which allows officers to give drivers a warning if they’re trouble. If the driver is reported more than once in a year, police can confiscate the vehicle and the driver will be prosecuted.