Elderly residents living next to a Batley car park say late-night car meets continue to disrupt their lives, with some admitting they are too frightened to report those involved.
 People living at Ward Hill Court say drivers regularly gather in Ward Hill car park behind the complex, creating loud noise from revving engines and speeding vehicles. Several residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they have been kept awake by the activity and believe there is “no deterrent” preventing it from continuing.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said they were too afraid to challenge those responsible because they feared retaliation.
Another resident, who also wished to remain anonymous, said the gatherings happened on most nights.
“It’s terrible sometimes,” he said.
“I hear noises from behind my house every day. They thankfully don’t come into the complex because they race around in big cars on the road outside, but there isn’t any deterrent to stop them. It’s annoying to hear all the zooming.”
Local councillors say the issue has been affecting the area for some time. Batley East cllr Akhtar Kasia said the problem was not new and previous enforcement action had simply moved drivers from one location to another.
“When enforcement moved them on from Tesco’s car park, the problem shifted to Wards Hill and other local car parks rather than being resolved,” he said.
“That’s the point we have been raising with police and enforcement. Displacement like this shows that tackling one car park at a time doesn’t fix the underlying problem. We will keep pressing for a joined-up approach across all the affected sites in the ward.”
Cllr Kasia also said residents should not feel intimidated into staying silent. “No resident should feel too frightened to report what’s happening outside their home,” he said.
“We would encourage anyone affected at Wards Hill to report incidents to the police and to Yorkshire Housing directly, so there’s a proper record building.”
Yorkshire Housing said it understood residents concerns but confirmed the car park itself is owned and managed by Kirklees Council.
Francesca Hartley-White, Schemes and Supported Housing Manager at Yorkshire Housing, said: “We understand the concerns residents have raised and the impact this issue is having on the local community.
“While the car park is owned and managed by the council, we’re in contact with local partners and will continue to support our customers. We’d encourage anyone experiencing anti-social or criminal behaviour to report it to West Yorkshire Police so it can be investigated and appropriate action taken.”
Kirklees Council was approached for comment but had not responded by the publication deadline.
