Long-suffering residents living near the Riverside Park in St Neots are calling for action to deal with “boy racers” who drive round the car park late at night.

Several have reported seeing and hearing drivers, who they believe have removed silencers from their exhaust pipes, completing laps of the car park, and then driving off at high speed.

“The noise that can emit from a small car like a Clio or Fiesta is remarkable - every bit as loud as drag racers at Santa Pod,” one wrote in a letter sent to town mayor and Eaton Ford councillor, Derek Giles.

“After a lap or two of the car park they usually exit at speed and can be heard for several minutes speeding through the Eatons or the town. Surely this has come to the attention of the police and is it not within their powers to take action against the offenders?”

Councillor Giles is calling for a set of rising bollards to be reinstalled at the entrance to the car park, which is owned by Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC). The bollards, which damaged and not repaired, were operated between midnight and 6am and prevented access to the car park during this time.

“It really is no use relying on occasional police intervention. When the bollards were installed originally, the problem of boy racers was eliminated practically overnight. I realise this will cost money but I believe it will be money well spent to give our neighbours some respite from the noise and aggravation.

Councillor Giles has been told the reinstalling the bollards will cost in the region of £9,000..

Deputy mayor, Barry Chapman added: “Residents opposite the BP garage complain to me of loud exhaust cars racing by up till 1am on Friday/Saturday nights. This is not a problem which will go away on its own accord and the police should not have to pick up an additional cost of monitoring a situation which only exists because the bollards were removed.”

HDC, however, has said while it understands the frustration of the nearby residents it will “continue to investigate all complaints and seek evidence from CCTV cameras to confirm the level of anti-social behaviour and the potential for prosecutions.

Councillor Darren Tysoe, executive member for operational resources, said: “Simply replacing the barrier system is not the solution on its own and we need an agreed action plan with the police. Any action we take must be part of a comprehensive solution or we just relocate this problem to another part of St Neots. We will seek the support from the police for a joint review of matters so that there is an inter-agency agreement on the way forward.”