RESIDENTS are being plagued by boy racers taking part in "antisocial" drag races until the early hours of the morning.

Residents claim rowdy racers meet up in roads including Finch Drive, in Braintree, and The Plaza, Enterprise and Innovation Centre, near Great Notley, and use the A131 between Braintree and Halstead for racing.

Drag racing, 'donuts' and 'burnouts' have been reported.

Braintree and Witham Times: Meeting space - A Google Street View image of Finch Drive, a road where alleged car gatherings take placeMeeting space - A Google Street View image of Finch Drive, a road where alleged car gatherings take place (Image: Finch Drive)

Essex Police are aware of 'car cruises' and the impact they have on residents and are working with Braintree Council to tackle the problem.

The force says it takes the issue "very seriously" and officers are using various tactics to prevent gatherings.

Insp Philip Jackson, of the Braintree community policing team, says the force will continue to crack down on boy racers.

He said: "We are aware of the issues those intent on antisocial use of their vehicles cause the community.

“We will continue to look at ways to ensure our residents are not negatively impacted by this behaviour.”

Braintree and Witham Times: Anti-social - An illustrative image of racing carAnti-social - An illustrative image of racing car (Image: Pixabay)

The council has provided funding for extra patrols and the force has used dispersal orders when needed.

Over the last eight weeks, Essex Police have stopped more than 70 cars, completed 17 stop searches, issued around 40 tickets, and reported 16 drivers for traffic summons.

The police have also patrolled the A131 for an additional 80 hours.

Residents have taken to social media to comment on the issue in Braintree.

Many felt it was not a problem, but Phil Spillane felt differently.

He said: “It is hard to believe the number of people supporting this behaviour.

“’I'm bored let's do something dangerous and break the law’. As soon as something goes wrong and someone gets killed it will be ‘where were the police’, ‘why did they let this happen?’"

Braintree Council safer communities boss Mary Cunningham is also chairman of the Braintree Community Safety Partnership.

She said: “We are aware of the issues surrounding car meets in the area and we are working with partners to identify long term solutions to address this problem.”