Residents ‘struggling to sleep’ due to noisy boy racers

HUNDREDS of young motorists have been urged to put the brakes on their late night escapades at an Omagh car park due to the serious disturbance they are creating for elderly residents in a nearby housing fold.

 

An estimated 200 vehicles have been congregating at a large car park off the Great Northern Road, where drivers are performing ‘doughnuts’, revving and other manoeuvres.

 

Among those being affected by the vehicles are residents of the nearby Hillbank Fold which is just across the road from the Great Northern Road Retail Park.

 

One woman who lives there told the UH that many residents were unable to get to sleep until the early hours of Saturday morning due to the noise.

 

“Last Friday night I couldn’t believe the number of cars cruising in that area, and this lasted from 9.30pm until 2.30am. The car park was absolutely packed with about 200 cars,” she said.

 

“It’s the third week in a row now that this has been happening. Something has to be done because a lot of the residents in the Hillbank Fold are elderly and don’t need this – the disruption and noise is just desperate.”

 

PSNI Sergeant Johnny Hamill, urged the drivers to be “mindful of their behaviour” and said police will be patrolling the Omagh town area this weekend.

 

“We will continue to response to complaints from members of the public about Anti-Social Behaviour and will issue warning notices where appropriate,” he said.

 

“We will be patrolling the Omagh town area this weekend and would urge people to be mindful of their behaviour, to act responsibly while behind the wheel in built-up areas and consider the impact of their actions on the local community.”

 

A spokesperson for Radius Housing, who run Hillbank Fold, said that they had been made aware of recent incidents which are having a negative impact on their tenants.

 

“We hope that the police and other agencies can take measures to ensure that these events do not occur in the future so our tenants can live peacefully in their homes.”