A man says his heart was racing after he discovered a dent in his £50,000 BMW, caused by a boy racer.

Darren Jaynes, 40, had watched a film at Cineworld at Eureka Park in Ashford and returned to his BMW IX3 Premier Edition at about 11pm to find it surrounded.

So-called ‘boy-racers’ have been congregating in the overflow car park behind the cinema, which is not owned by Cineworld, since January.

Residents told KentOnline earlier this month of how they are woken up every night by the racket of them drifting and sounding their horns.

Mr Jaynes said he was nervous as he approached his car and was frustrated to find a huge dent in one side, on March 25.

“I came out at about 11pm and there were loads of boy racers around my car,” he said.

“I was quite worried because I was on my own and there was a lot of them. My heart was racing, it does not do your anxiety any good.

“A security guard was also there and told me someone had hit by car and driven off.”

The culprit’s friend advised him to return, as there was a CCTV camera which could have caught the incident, and he later did that evening, with his mum.

“When he came back, I said to him we are only human, and asked him why he drove off. To which he swore at me,” he said.

“They are the only words I spoke to him and that is all he said to me.”

The Kennington resident says he thinks something needs to be done to stop the group gathering in the car park before someone gets hurt.

“The only thing that will stop them is if there is a barrier or the police need to get involved and issue a dispersal order,” he said.

“The security guards are doing a great job but they can only do so much.”

“I have seen them miss hitting people by fractions before. They just carry on driving and I think if something is not done soon, someone could get badly injured.

“They will also drive right up next to you to intimidate you and flash their lights.”

Fortunately, the culprits’ mum gave Mr Jaynes her son’s insurance details, saving him potentially up to £20,000 in repair costs, labour and hiring an interim replacement car.

‘If something is not done soon, someone could get badly injured...’

A spokesperson for police said officers were made aware just after midnight on March 26 that a car had collided with a parked car in Eureka Park, and no injuries were reported.

A spokesman for Savills, the company which run Eureka Leisure Park, previously said it is "aware of the ongoing issue with car meet-ups onsite and across the wider Ashford area".

They added: "We are actively working with local authorities to prevent such events taking place.

“We work hard to deliver a safe and friendly environment for our customers and the surrounding community.

"Car meets are prohibited at Eureka Leisure Park."