Calls to put brakes on '˜boy racers' at Chesterfield supermarket once and for all

A mum-of-two is calling for a long-running problem with '˜boy racers' at a Chesterfield supermarket to come to an end after her children became '˜scared to death' on a recent visit.
Boy racers are back at Tesco Extra in Chesterfield. Picture: Stock image.Boy racers are back at Tesco Extra in Chesterfield. Picture: Stock image.
Boy racers are back at Tesco Extra in Chesterfield. Picture: Stock image.

A mum-of-two is calling for a long-running problem with ‘boy racers’ at a Chesterfield supermarket to come to an end after her children became ‘scared to death’ on a recent visit.

Michelle McAssey says that young drivers in cars and motorbikes use the Tesco Extra car park at Lockoford Lane like a ‘speedway’ and needlessly rev their engines.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 38-year-old, who has two children aged two and eight months, was also disappointed with the response she received from the supermarket’s customer service team online when she reported it.

On the boy racers, Michelle said: “Tesco has always had a problem with boy racers - they congregate in the car park and speed and rev their engines.

“I want them to put a stop to this before someone is injured or even worse.”

What most annoyed Michelle was the response she received from Tesco when she reported it online.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tesco told her that their staff were ‘not trained to enter into this type of confrontation with customers’ and that it would need to be dealt with by the police.

But Michelle insists she was not asking for Tesco staff to confront the racers but felt the store and police could be doing more to stop it.

“It was Tesco’s response that annoyed me more than anything,” Michelle said. “I thought it was disgusting. I was not asking Tesco staff to confront them. It shouldn’t be down to customers to call the police. As a company it is their land and they are the ones with the power over it.”

Inspector Dave Nicholls, of Derbyshire police, who is in charge of policing in the Chesterfield area, said: “We are aware of the long-standing issues around anti-social behaviour with regards vehicle use in the Tesco Extra car park on Lockoford Lane.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Since the start of 2018, we have received six calls in relation to this. We endeavour to police all reported incidents according to live priorities. We attend when we are able to do so and we take action if we find an offence has been committed.

“When we’re not able to respond in real time, a member of our Safer Neighbourhood policing team will retrospectively visit the store to discuss the incident.

“We are working with the private landowner, Tesco, considering ways to prevent groups from congregating in their car park.

“In November 2016, they installed speed bumps to reduce anti-social driving. Further future measures, such as restricting access to parts of the car park during the evening, are also being considered.

You can report anti-social behaviour to us on 101.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are aware of anti-social behaviour issues in the car park of our Chesterfield Extra store and fully understand the annoyance this causes our neighbours and customers. Our priority is the safety of our colleagues and customers and working with local police we have put in place a range of measures to prevent misuse, including installing speed bumps and entry and exit barriers. We’ll continue to monitor the car park and alert the local police to any incidents.”

Related topics: