A NEIGHBOURHOOD beat bobby is working with his colleagues in an effort to put a stop to dangerous driving in an area that has become a regular haunt for nuisance motorists.

As part of the countywide ‘Safer Summer’ campaign, PC Chris Oliver-Jones has been spending his patrols on the trail of dangerous, speeding motorists in Laker Road, Rochester.

Police officers from West Kent have been visiting the area as part of their routine patrols. The action follows reports of drivers racing each other and performing dangerous manoeuvres.

As the road crosses the Medway and West Kent policing areas, the local neighbourhood teams have joined forces to actively patrol the road where Lamborghinis, Bentleys and Subarus are a common sight.

As part of his efforts to stop this behaviour PC Oliver-Jones has also spent hours trawling through websites where videos of the racing drivers have been posted.

The neighbourhood officer says he wants to let the drivers know that they risk their cars being taken from.

He said: "In addition to our powers to stop people for dangerous driving, speeding and other motoring offences we can also issue nuisance vehicle warnings.

"If a motorist receives two of these warnings we then have the power to seize their car. We will not hesitate in using every available power to us to stop this behaviour.

"I have investigated a number of ‘damage only’ collisions in the road where fencing and a building have been struck and I think it is important to stop these drivers before someone is seriously hurt or even killed."

He stressed: "We are taking a number of steps to make life better for people in the area. These include regular patrols of the road, working with the council to examine the possibility of traffic calming and taking a zero tolerance approach to those motorists causing a problem.

"I have also visited local businesses to advise them on how to stop drivers using their car parks as meeting places.

"Our action will continue as long as this remains an issue to local residents. We care about the concerns of local people and we will take action to improve the quality of their lives. I would like to ask residents to report incidents to us, as their information is vital when targeting these motorists."

He added: "The message from the police is simple, if you drive in a dangerous way be prepared to walk in the future, as we will seize your car."