MORE than 100 fines have been issued as police tackle an illegal car meet in Colchester.

On Saturday, Essex Police dispersed a large illegal car meet in an industrial car park in Colchester, where there were in excess of 1,000 people in attendance.

They say this was to protect the nearby community from anti-social driving and to ensure road safety.

Officers say they have since issued more than 100 fines for those who breached a Public Space Protection Order.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We will not tolerate these large-scale meetings and will use all powers available to us to tackle the issue.”

On the night, officers made one arrest for drink/drug driving and two arrests for taking a car without consent of the owner made in the vicinity.

Two vehicles were also issued with prohibition notices due to mechanical faults making them unsafe to drive, one car was seized due to anti-social driving practices, two drivers were reported for no insurance, one driver was reported for careless driving, five vehicle defects, and two drivers were reported for obstructing the highway.

Adam Pipe, head of Essex Police's Roads Policing Unit, said: “Drivers at these events often engage in anti-social and dangerous driving practices such as drifting, where the driver is not properly in control of their car.

“This is not a question of spoiling anyone’s fun, this is a very serious matter with potentially very serious consequences to spectators and drivers alike should there be a collision.

“These events won’t be tolerated and when we are made aware of an unauthorised event, we will take robust action and use all our resources to prevent and disrupt them from taking place.”

Officers can also use dispersal orders as temporary measures, bestowing extra powers to tackle localised issues such as car meets.

They allow officers to direct anyone involved in anti-social behaviour to leave the designated area quietly, or risk being arrested.

They aim to prevent anti-social behaviour and crime taking place and provide reassurance to the local community and to businesses that we are tackling the issues that concern them the most.

In the first four months of this year, force wide, Roads Policing officers have issued 109 warnings for anti-social driving and seized 17 cars.