A group of motor fanatics issued with £100 fines for breaching a blanket ban on "car cruising" insist they simply stopped for food and are not the real "boy racers".

The car enthusiasts, who all drive Vauxhall Astra VXRs, say they had arranged to meet separately at Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe.

As part of their coastal itinerary the group of 12 planned to grab a bite at the centre before travelling towards Medway and onto Leysdown beach on the Isle of Sheppey.

They did not arrive in convoy but parked up next to each other at the John Lewis car park last Saturday shortly after 6pm.

After returning from a meal at Gourmet Burger Kitchen an hour later, some of the group found their pals swarmed by police and all motorists were slapped with £100 on-the-spot fines.

Footage from the incident shows the group asking officers the nature of their offence.

"We're all getting tickets for being here to get food as a group," said one disgruntled motorist. "We're not allowed to have the same cars parked up."

Another motor fanatic can then be heard asking "are we allowed to go?" to which another replies: "Obviously not, they have blocked us in."

Over that weekend, 20 drivers were issued with fines as part of ongoing efforts to crackdown on noisy "boy racer" meets.

In recent weeks, videos have emerged of motorists performing doughnuts and speeding up nearby Crossways Boulevard in front of spectators on garden deck chairs.

A lorry driver also spoke out after claiming his truck was blocked in and he was verbally abused.

To tackle the problem, the police have been handed extra powers to fine nuisance motorists under a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) authorised by Dartford council.

The PSPO bans car cruising, wheel spins, racing and performing stunts, along with the recording of these types of activities. People can also be fined if engaging in any activity a reasonable person would consider to be “car cruising”.

But Antony Willson, 27, who was a member of the group caught by the PSPO at Bluewater, insists they have not taken part in any of these activities.

The Maidstone motorist told KentOnline: "I literally came out from having a meal with friends and my car was surrounded by 10-15 police cars.

"We were trying to leave, we were not staying."

Antony's offence is listed as: "Driver of white Vauxhall Astra parked with around 12 cars stating they were on a car cruise of Kent coast."

But he says no activity which could be construed as "car cruising" had taken place at this point.

The group, some of who had travelled down as far afield as Manchester, say they meet purely to take pictures, socialise and share a mutual love of cars.

Another participant Cameron Slee, 27, explained: "We are part of a car club where we all get together and go out and drive, stopping off to take pictures of our cars.

"It is a really diverse group and we have people of all ages and ethnicities."

The reason for his fine was listed as "Vehicle parked in Red Car Park at Bluewater".

He says two drivers who produced meal receipts were let off. He has appealed his own fine to Dartford council but is yet to receive a response.

Cameron believes they are being incorrectly tagged as "boy racers" and says they don't speed or take part in the reckless behaviour seen in Crossways Boulevard.

"We are here to enjoy the cars," he said. "It is purely about the company. We don't come in convoys or speed and none of us revved our engines or tried to do tyre spins or doughnuts."

The Vauxhall fanatic, who lives in Rochester, says he was aware there had been problems at Crossways but didn't know about the PSPO and couldn't see any signs.

"If we knew were going to be clamped down on like this we would not have entertained it," he added. "If we were told there was a PSPO we would have moved on."

Fellow petrolhead Antony says he agrees with the PSPO being in place but believes it is being applied disproportionately.

"I have parked up in Bluewater and people have nearly hit me before so I completely understand what they are doing but I think they have the wrong people," he said.

"Having the same car was the reason they gave me. I didn't know parking next to a car the same as yours was an offence.

"I'm going to let them take me to court. I'm not prepared to pay it."

Kent Police says it is taking "robust action" to ensure motorists seen committing anti-social behaviour are dealt with appropriately.

It says the area should not be "treated as a racetrack" and is not safe or suitable place for groups of motorists to gather.

The latest action has been praised by Kent County Councillor for Greenhithe and Swanscombe Peter Harman who has longed called for the issue to be "taken more seriously" in response to the concerns of residents.

He said: "The fact this is being dealt with is really positive. "I think the thing is if it is enforced regularly for a few weeks that should be enough to stop it."

Asked about the concerns of some car enthusiasts, he added: "I think the thing is it is a difficult job for the police and I know being a police officer is not an easy job and they have to make a series of judgements and this is another one."

But he said he had "great faith" they were making the "right decisions".

When asked about one of the fines issued, Kent Police Community Safety Unit Inspector Trevor Jenner said: "The fine was issued to this driver as part of our ongoing work to tackle anti-social behaviour in Greenhithe.

"Ultimately it is down to police officers to determine what actions they need to take."

"The motorist was part of a group who had travelled to Kent as part of a car cruise.

"Under the powers of a PSPO it makes it an offence to participate in car cruising or a car cruising event. Anyone wishing to appeal a fine issued should contact Dartford council."

A Dartford council spokesman said: “We trust the police to stand up for residents, and local people will always want to see police take positive action to deter anti-social behaviour.

"Ultimately it is down to police officers to determine what actions they need to take.

He added: “Any recipient of a fixed penalty notice who feels it has been issued improperly should make contact with the council to make an appeal.

“It is in everyone’s interest to ensure the efforts made to deter anti-social driving are fair and appropriate.”

Bluewater declined to comment.