High speed menaces: the ‘Croydon Cruise’, staged off the Purley Way 10 years ago, was curtailed by a High Court injunction, impounded vehicles and speed humps. Residents in Coulsdon have been calling for similar action for several months
The combined resources of two police forces are being brought together for joint action against nuisance drivers who have been gathering for noisy, late-night meets and racing in the car parks and service roads of an industrial estate in Coulsdon.
Unlikely race track: residents living near to the industrial estate in Coulsdon have endured a ‘nightmare’
The “boy racers” and joy riders’ activities have been described by one local councillor as “a nightmare for residents”.
Surrey Police and the Met are looking to conduct co-ordinated action, using drones and CCTV, to monitor and potentially impound vehicles that turn up for these organised, but illicit, race meetings that have been staged in and around the Redlands Industrial Estate and Ullswater Crescent off Marlpit Lane in Coulsdon.
Even Croydon Council has sprung into action, albeit belatedly, and is now said to be looking at installing speed humps to deter the racers. Who knows when they will actually get round to doing something, though.
“We share your concerns,” Conservative councillor Ian Parker has told residents.
“These meets are dangerous to drivers and pedestrians and a real nuisance to residents. They are not what some have claimed, ‘youngsters having a bit of fun’.”
But those living in the Coulsdon Woods Estate, close to the industrial estate where the motor meets take place, say that their complaints have long been ignored, by the council and police. Councillor Parker took up the matter in September last year. But still the noisy night-time meets have continued.
The petrolheads’ meets take place at the foot of an old chalk quarry, the steep sides of which serve to amplify the noise of their engines and screeching tyres.
“They race their cars, backfiring constantly and tyres squealing, for hours on end. On the last occasion they also brought large speakers that belted out very loud music from 11.30pm to 2.30am and they appeared to set off fireworks as well,” according to one eyewitness.
The board of the Coulsdon Woods Management group wrote a stern complaint to Croydon Mayor Jason Perry at the start of the month.
“These people are blatantly breaking the law at will and others are encouraging them in order to make money from their fans,” the email stated.
“Our faith in the police is seriously damaged by this lack of action. Where are the police officers to arrest people actually committing a crime?”
Long delay: Cllr Ian Parker said he would act last September
The description will sound familiar to those who endured the weekly “Croydon Cruise” held on Imperial Way, off the Purley Way, a decade ago or so. Then, it took the death of a young father to persuade the council to take any action.
In that instance, local police struggled to assign the necessary resources to tackle high-speed racing or the stunt riding on the public highway. Eventually, the council installed speed humps along key stretches of road, making it impossible, or impossibly uncomfortable, for the racers to continue using it as a drag strip.
A three-year High Court injunction and a police raid impounding a selection of the vehicles also helped to deter the persistent offenders.
Today, Coulsdon appears to be the racetrack of choice.
When residents have tried to call the police, they say they have had difficulty getting through to an operator, and when they do, they have been told that no one else has complained. “We know this is false,” one resident told Inside Croydon.
“We’re told not to approach [the racers], but the police also ask for registration numbers.”
Businesses based on the trading estate have provided CCTV footage to the police, without any action resulting.
On some occasions, the gatherings have begun as early as 7pm. The race meetings typically last for at least three hours, late at night and into the small hours.
There are no speed humps on the roads. Lots of the trading units have their own car parking areas and no barriers, so the racers are able to enter at any time of the day or night. “From the sounds we get, they race along the road before spinning round in one of the car parks,” a resident told iC. There are visible signs of the night-time activity, with rubber left all over the car parks.
The right hump: small obstacles in the Redlands industrial estate car parks don’t deter the night-time racers
“Apart from the nuisance, the frustration and the anger felt by residents like ourselves, there is also the worry that someone could easily be seriously hurt, if not killed.”
According to Coulsdon Town Councillor Parker last week, the Met “will be in contact with Surrey Police to seek their assistance when they attend the meets”.
In a notice sent to residents, Parker wrote: “Surrey Police have easier access to drones that will enable them to evidence the problems when they attend and this will support the issuing of Section 59 notices which grant them the authority to seize vehicles…
“The police will use enforcement on those that they are able to capture acting in an anti-social manner.
“The police are aware of the impact this is having on local residents. They offer reassurances that this will be dealt with.”
And Parker added, “The prospect of [the council’s highways department] putting in adequate speed bumps will be the most impactive [sic] and long-term solution.”
Read more: Council says it can’t afford leaflets to publicise Cruise ban
Read more: Waddon councillors’ bumpy ride to being top of the POPs
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ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2026, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for an EIGHTH time in nine years, in Private Eye magazine’s annual round-up of civic cock-ups
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A borough wide PSPO specifically targeting motorist crime is long overdue
Tesco Purley sorted this by installing sleeping policemen. They are (mostly) universally hated but the noisy meet-ups have stopped.
It’s just moved the problem down the road
You’re just guessing – Ullswater Crescent meet-ups pre-date the Tesco burn-outs. Anyway, who are we to spoil petrol-head’s fun?
If Perry weren’t a petrol head, he’d bring in a Public Space Protection Order for the whole borough and banned this. Far fetched? No. The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council did this in March 2019. Their PSPO says:
“Persons are prohibited from engaging in, promoting, encouraging, permitting or assisting in the carrying out of any activity in or on a public highway, car park and any other land to which the public has access in Bradford and which causes or is likely to cause harassment alarm or distress due to any of the following namely:
– excessive noise
– danger to other road users (including pedestrians)
– damage or risk of damage to private property
– shouting or swearing at, or abusing, threatening or otherwise intimidating (including by the use of sexual language or making sexual suggestions) another person
– any public nuisance to another person
– congregating or loitering as part of a group around (or in) one or more stationary vehicles at any time or as part of a group transiting on the highway or anywhere the public habitually has access to, where such activity causes or is likely to cause noise, harassment, alarm, or distress
– engaging in, promoting, encouraging, or assisting in activities or other vehicle related nuisance causing or likely to cause danger to the public
– causing or permitting excessive amplified music or other noise from vehicles such as to cause or be likely to cause alarm, harassment, or distress as a result of a gathering of persons in or around one or more vehicles on any public road or land to which the public has access”
A joint agreement was made that the police would enforce and live time offences and breaches of the PSPO, and that any retrospective enforcements, CCTV/Dash cam submissions would be dealt with by the Council.
A vote winner for those seeking to become the next Mayor of Croydon