“The way I see it is, it’s better than him doing drugs. I know some of the locals don’t like it but that’s the price you pay for being rich.”
Around a hundred people attended the illegal event(Image: Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News)
Despite the best efforts of the police, dozens of car enthusiasts lined the streets of Alderley Edge for a planned bank holiday car meet. The event was just one in a series of meets that have taken place in the affluent village and nearby Wilmslow in recent weeks.
Around 100 people, primarily young men armed with high-end DSLR cameras, turned up to watch the meet. They stood on the pavement of London Road, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next supercar or luxury vehicle.
There has been a crackdown on these meets due to complaints from locals about the noise from revving engines and parking issues, with cars seen on pavements, roundabouts and grass verges – but some attendees claimed car meets are a “nice day out”, insisting there’s “no real harm” done. Despite the clampdown, which saw Cheshire Police enforce a 36-hour dispersal order on Alderley Edge in the morning, car enthusiasts still turned up to admire the likes of Ferraris, Bentleys, Aston Martins, BMWs and vintage cars cruising through one of Cheshire’s wealthiest areas.
Several marked and unmarked police cars were positioned on London Road and Wilmslow Road. Two officers were also on foot patrol, stopping numerous motorists who were causing a nuisance by revving their powerful cars and motorbikes along the route, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Alderney Edge illegal car meet(Image: Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News)
Drivers were asked to pull over and were given a warning that could result in their vehicle being seized if they commit a second offence.
One local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, described the event as “horrific”, while another asked, “what have they turned the village into?”
A dad from Liverpool, also choosing to stay anonymous, said: “I hate cars, but I brought my son because he wanted to come.
“The way I see it is, it’s better than him doing drugs. I know some of the locals don’t like it but that’s the price you pay for being rich. These kids love fancy cars and this is the place they can find them.”
Scott Evans drove from Wrexham to Alderley Edge for today’s meet, the 42-year-old said: “Since I was a kid I’ve always loved cars and now my son’s interested as well. It’s a nice day out for us.
Cheshire Police enforced a 36-hour dispersal order on Alderley Edg(Image: Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News)
“It doesn’t matter where you are, but you shouldn’t be breaking the rules anyway, at the end of the day we all come because we like cars. I don’t think we’re misunderstood and the police are just trying to put rules in place where they should be. As long as the people in the cars are being safe, there’s no real harm.”
Aramis Parisi, 23, who drove just over three hours from London to take part in the meet, said: “We have car meets here once every three or four months. You just drive straight through, show off your car, park up and watch the other cars.
“This is a legal one, everyone stays low, does everything legally. There can be illegal ones where it can be a bit crazy, people doing donuts.
“Today, hopefully it’s a lot of cars coming and it should be quite calm. You do get the revs here and there, people showing off, but they’ve done this for a few years and it’s pretty cool to see.”
Car enthusiasts still turned up to admire the likes of Ferraris, Bentleys, Aston Martins, BMWs and vintage cars(Image: Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News)
The dispersal order remained in place until 10pm yesterday (August 26). It covered the centre of Alderley Edge and a stretch of the A34 to the north of the village and gave police the power to remove anyone suspected of committing crime or anti-social behaviour from the area.
Chief Insp Zoe Bowden said: “I understand the frustration and anger that illegal car meets cause, and I hope that this dispersal order will provide reassurance to local residents by demonstrating that we are taking action.
“This is an ongoing problem in the local area, and I want to reassure residents that we are committed to doing all we can to tackle the issue.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to those who break the law, and I want to make it clear that action will be taken against anyone who breaches the dispersal order this weekend. This could include vehicle seizures, penalty notices, notifying insurance companies, or arrest and prosecution where necessary.
“This order is not aimed at people meeting in their cars peacefully, simply those disrupting local communities and acting in an anti-social manner. Our message is clear – anti-social behaviour and anti-social use of vehicles will not be tolerated.”