A?GROUP of 'car enthusiasts' has hit back at suggestions that they drive dangerously and cause a nuisance in the town saying that they congregate in Abergavenny's Fairfield car park because it is one of the only well lit areas in the town. At a recent meeting of Abergavenny Town Council it was revealed that an action group made up of Abergavenny police officers and officers from Monmouthshire County Council were considering erecting barriers at the entrance to the Fairfield car park in an effort to prevent reckless driving around the town. Now a self confessed 'car enthusiast" angry at the suggestion that they drive irresponsibly - and the label 'boy racers' - has come forward to give the opposing side of the argument. The driver, who wishes to remain anonymous said, "We pay good money to not only buy our cars but to also put them on the road legally. "When the average cost for insurance etc is in the region of

£3,000 I think we are more than entitled to park or drive where ever we want (to a certain degree). "We do not race around the streets of Abergavenny, we meet in such places like you have discussed such as the Fairfield car park and the bus station car park not because of their design or layout of but because they are some of only three car parks in Abergavenny with street lights. "Many a time have the police have asked us to go to Byfield Land car park "out of the way", which we have done, but as soon as we get there they turn the lights off leaving us in pitch black. "Obviously sometimes you will get the odd one or two people making a nuisance but if we are honest, that's a lot less than the average crime/anti-social behaviour that goes on in the town on a Saturday night. "The main point I want to make and the moral of this story is to try and express that if the council really want to waste more money then carry on.. we will just go somewhere else in the town. "The only way to resolve this is to have a mutual meeting between the police, council and ourselves to try and see if we can come up with an idea together to benefit us all." A spokesperson from Gwent Police has responded to the driver's letter and said, "The issue of anti-social driving in Abergavenny is a long standing concern and something which officers have been working to tackle following complaints from local residents. "Whilst we appreciate that there are many drivers who enjoy their vehicles and socialising with like-minded people, we will tackle the small minority of drivers who think it's acceptable to act anti-socially. "Behaviour reported includes excessive revving of engines, littering, swearing and shouting, loud music being played and drivers using their cars to 'doughnut' and drive recklessly. "This is unacceptable and causes distress and annoyance for local residents and their families. "We patrol the car parks in Abergavenny on a regular basis and engage with the local community, including drivers. "We would be willing to meet with the drivers concerned, along with Monmouthshire County Council to look for a long term solution. Please contact Community Support Officer Ruth Moyse if you would like to meet to discuss this issue [email protected]">[email protected]