MOTOR mobs will be locked out of yet another car park.

Gates will be installed at the Sandy Lane car park in Boughton, a rendez-vous point for boy racers.

Residents say recent police operations have helped ease the problem, but hope the night time lock out will eradicate it.

The move comes just weeks after Chester City Council's installation of gates at the Gorse Stacks car park had an immediate impact.

Gates are already in place at the Little Roodee, Northgate, Trinity Street and Boughton Retail Park car parks and are likely to be introduced at Sandy Lane by mid-September.

They will cost £1,000. Boughton councillor Sue Atkinson said: 'I did take this to the Joint Highways Committee but they asked for a report and there are no meetings in August.

'Action was needed now to spare residents another month of noise. There will be signs put up and a private security firm will lock the gates. We also need to close off the gaps between trees and someone has suggested putting railway sleepers there.'

Cllr Atkinson added police action in conjunction with the city council's mobile CCTV unit had already improved the situation.

'It seems a lot of the racers are using their parents' cars so police will be contacting their parents,' she said. 'Some of them are from outside the area, even places like Crewe and Prestatyn.

'The racers are saying they did not realise they were causing a nuisance which is mind boggling when you think how close to the houses they are.'

Police will maintain their presence in the area until gates are installed.

Insp Peter Crowcroft, of the inner sector Community Action Team, said Operation Yahoo, rolled out over four nights so far, had seen three racers warned.

The warning notices, issued on July 26, mean police can seize offending vehicles next time around.

Police vehicles used in the operation include speed reading devices, while one has Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology to warn officers if the cars have been linked to crime.

The racers' insurance firms have also been contacted about their 'souped-up' vehicles.

Insp Crowcroft said: 'It's an ongoing operation with marked and unmarked cars and a company on stand-by to tow cars away if necessary.

'Gates were the solution we were after because they deprive the racers of a meeting place.'

Sandy Lane resident, Rosie Sheldrake said: 'This is wonderful news. The police operations have improved things drastically, it was about time something was done.

'There's still the odd racer but hopefully the gates will do the trick.'

rob.devey@cheshirenews.co.uk