POLICE blocked the entrance to a town centre car park at the weekend to stop illegal Sunday night 'car cruises.'

Dozens of drivers regularly congregate in the North Bondgate car park in Bishop Auckland, which some use as a starting point for speed contests across the nearby viaduct.

Residents have complained for months about the gatherings, which are similar to those held on industrial estates and other open spaces around the region.

Information on the cruises is passed on through internet web sites and chat rooms and police acknowledge that most drivers do not break the law, meeting with other car fans merely to show off their powerful motors.

In Bishop Auckland several drivers have been prosecuted for offences such as careless driving and some have been given fixed penalty tickets.

When this did not prove a deterrent, site owners Wear Valley District Council were asked to sanction the overnight shutdown which started at 6pm.

Insp Ivan Wood, of Bishop Auckland police, said: "This has been a long running problem. We have tried education and advice, we have issued leaflets to all the drivers and we have prosecuted those we have seen committing offences on the road.

"We have told them we support their right to lawful assembly, but we won't condone anti-social behaviour or the flouting of road traffic law.

"We have had reports of cars doing handbrake turns on the car park and even someone setting up an amplifier and speakers for an open-air disco late at night. This is a residential area and we have had a large number of complaints."

Paula Jo Barker, who lives next to the car park, said: "The problem is that the minority have spoiled things for the majority."

And cruiser Andy Potts, of Ferryhill, said: "This happens all over the country - we get moved on. No-one ever solves the problem, they just move it to another area.

"What I do not understand is what the real threat is of many people sitting in a car park."