Boy racers could have their cars seized if they continue to drive dangerously and cause a nuisance on a busy dual carriageway.

A dispersal order has been put in place again this weekend in the Crossways Boulevard area near Greenhithe.

It comes after numerous calls of anti-social motorists driving poorly on Sunday with one mounting the pavement and narrowly missing a pedestrian.

The noisy late-night meet ups took place outside Screwfix on the business estate in Quadrant Court, with many revving their engines and performing stunts.

Kent County councillor for Swanscombe and Greenhithe Peter Harman visited the site at about 10pm after being contacted by residents and said there were more than 100 cars in attendance.

Additional powers have now been granted to officers to cover the area surrounding the business park this upcoming weekend.

The order will start at 8pm tonight and will see patrols regularly visit the location.

Officers say anyone who is suspected to be causing, or likely to cause, anti-social behaviour will be instructed to leave immediately.

Failure to comply with an order given by an officer is an offence that risks arrest.

And police have not ruled out taking further proportionate action where warranted and say in addition to detaining suspects, they could also seize vehicles.

There have been a number of problems with "boy racers" in the Crossways Boulevard area in recent years.

Drivers are reported to use the trading estate as their base at weekends before whizzing around the nearby streets and roundabouts.

In July last year residents wrote to Dartford council to outline their concerns after a noisy meeting of up to 200 vehicles was said to have taken place in Quadrant Court.

Cllr Harman said the problem has been going on for four or five years. He has previously met with police and officers from council about the issue.

He said: "It is frustrating. It is not just the noise from the engines that residents have to put up with, it's the sounds of the tyres screeching as well.

"The drivers use the estate as a base and then go racing up and down the dual carriageway and back into the estate.

"I'd like to see more of a plan in place about how to deal with it. When 999 is called it is treated as an isolated incident, not an ongoing problem.

"There were two police officers turn up, up against 100 cars, they were severely outnumbered."

It's not the first time temporary dispersal orders have been authorised, giving police more powers to deal with nuisance motorists.

Inspector Paul Diddams, from the Dartford community safety unit, said: "The gathering last weekend caused an unacceptable nuisance to a large number of residents.

"Our officers acted quickly to disperse the people involved, but such behaviour cannot be allowed to continue.

"This dispersal order is one of several steps we are taking to prevent future occurrences and similar action in the past has proven to be an effective deterrent.

"Our officers are also involved in ongoing discussions with partner agencies and businesses to find long term resolutions.

He added: "We don’t underestimate the impact behaviour like this has on residents and I encourage anyone affected to report all incidents to us either by calling 101 or via our website. If a crime is in progress, dial 999."

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