An Aberdeen couple have hit out at “boy racers” who have been causing havoc on a busy city street for months.
Moira Mapley and her husband Jim, who live at the southern end of Holburn Street near Bridge of Dee, have been having issues with the noise and excessive speed of the cars outside of their home – including witnessing sparks coming off them.
But last Saturday was the “worst ever” Mrs Mapley said, with speeding cars and noisy exhausts tearing up the street from 10pm until 3am.
The couple have stayed in their property – which was Mrs Mapley’s family home growing up – for most of their married life, but the issues of antisocial behaviour is taking its toll.
She said: “We love it here, but this is really not nice.”
‘I’m not a fun sponge’
The couple claim the issues normally start at 10pm and can go on until 12.30am or 1am on weeknights.
As well as causing stress to the couple, their 12-year-old Jack Russell Schnauzer, Ruby, has also been affected by the loud noises and gets scared.
Mrs Mapley said: “I’m not a fun sponge, I appreciate boys like their cars and all the rest of it, but when it’s got the dog having to be peeled off the ceiling, we’re not having it.”
Despite calling both the police and Aberdeen City Council to get something done about the boy racers, Mrs Mapley has had no success, being told by the police to contact the council and vice versa.
Taking her frustrations to neighbourhood app Nextdoor, she learned that others in the Craigiebuckler, Queen’s Cross and Rosemount areas are also suffering from the same issues.
Mrs Mapley said the boy racers “shouldn’t be disturbing people” and has a solution for how the authorities should deal with them.
“Find them somewhere that they can go and do it that doesn’t bother anybody else, like an industrial estate out in the sticks or something,” she said.
Calls for action
Local councillor Michael Kusznir confirmed that he has received complaints about the issue on Holburn Street and that it was recently discussed at a community council meeting.
Mr Kusznir said: “I have contacted the Ferryhill local policing team for an update on how they are targeting these individuals and the current state of play in terms of complaints.”
A police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of concerns around ongoing antisocial behaviour involving vehicles in the Holburn Street area of Aberdeen.
“We are working with partners to put measures in place to deter this behaviour and to identify those responsible. We are also aware of the adverse impact antisocial use of vehicles can have on a community and will take action against anyone found to be causing an offence.
“I would urge anyone with concerns about antisocial behaviour involving vehicles to contact Police Scotland. We use all information we receive to inform enforcement activity and our patrols.”
A spokeswoman for Aberdeen City Council added: “Aberdeen City Council works with Community Safety Partnership organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour in variety of ways. This would include sharing with Police Scotland reports about dangerous driving and other crime.”
Aberdeen has a history with boy racers, including the infamous “Bouley Bashers” who would regularly meet at the city’s Beach Boulevard, which in 2005 led to Grampian Police becoming the first in Scotland to use dispersal powers to deal with the issue.
Earlier this month, The P&J reported about a car park in Banchory being damaged as a result of “cruisers”, while a resident of the nearby Bellfield Care Home has said that residents are being kept awake at night by their behaviour.
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