One of the six vehicles which were seized (Credit: Newham Council)
Traffic officers, supported by the council’s community safety officers, are carrying out regular operations to stop illegal gatherings of drivers.
Over the past two weekends they have successfully shut down two illegal car meets of up to 100 drivers at Beckton Retail Park, in Royal Albert Way.
As a result of the operations, police were able to seize six vehicles for no insurance, two arrests were made for drink driving and 14 drug searches resulted in two arrests for possession of cannabis.
They also handed out 20 anti-social behaviour warnings.
Newham Council supported the planned enforcement activity by putting in place road closures to assist police with the operations.
Cllr James Beckles, cabinet lead for crime and community safety, said: “This kind of activity is highly disruptive and dangerous for residents and is often linked to other criminal activity.
“By working closely with the police to tackle the issue we have sent a strong message to those involved that this will not be tolerated in Newham. We will continue to use all tools at our disposal to disrupt this illegal activity.”
Superintendent Ian Brown said: “As a result of residents raising concerns about illegal car meets, the Local Authority and the Metropolitan Police Service are working in close partnership to target those who choose to commit criminal acts with a range of tactics, including seizing vehicles, issuing anti-social behaviour notices and bringing prosecutions.
“I have a very clear message to those involved: if you choose to come to Newham and disrupt the lives of law-abiding residents we will deal with you and we will deal with you robustly.”
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