Drivers using petrol station to spin tyres

A Wakefield woman struggling with health issues is fed up with “hoons” yelling, screaming, revving engines and screeching tyres when they congregate at the NPD petrol station in the middle of the night.

Cheryl Masoumi says she sees up to a dozen cars at the unattended petrol station, where there is a large concrete area for drivers to smoke their tyres and make “one hell of a noise”.

She has taken numerous photos and videos as well as called the police, but by the time they get to the site, the drivers have fled.

“I’ve had enough. I’m tired.”

While the antics of the drivers annoy her, she says there is also the danger that a driver will make a mistake and hit a fuel tank.

“It’s okay to be silly. But my biggest concern is you have quite a few cars out there and if a foot slips, there’s a dirty great big gas tank over there. It doesn’t take much for something really bad to happen.”

One night about three weeks ago she heard cars and glass smashing and when she went out to the gate a car drove off, leaving a girl yelling for help. She told the girl she would get help and called the police, but when she went back, the girl had vanished.

Cheryl says she does not blame the police who she says are doing the best they can to manage a large region, and the local police station is not manned 24 hours a day.

“Our policeman here is very passionate about sorting the problem out and I commend him for that.”

When drivers are caught in the act, she would like to see harsher penalties though, that make them think twice about their behaviour.

“Their cars need to be taken off them. Otherwise they just get all these fines and go to court where they say they can’t afford to pay and judges wipe their fines and just get them to do community service.”

She says she would love to live in a quieter location, but she cannot afford to shift.

NPD has confirmed it does have cameras operating at the Wakefield site and can supply footage to the police when requested.