BOY racers have been told to put the brakes on their dangerous late-night escapades after a congregation of cars were seen drifting round a shopping centre car park.

Angry residents were left fuming on Sunday evening after a cluster of inconsiderate drivers descended on the Triangle Shopping Centre, in Rochard Way, Frinton.

Taking over the facility’s empty car park, several loud cars are said to have been seen and heard racing each other and unpredictably drifting at about 9.30pm.

One eyewitness, who lives nearby but did not wish to be named, said she could see the drivers from her bedroom window, and struggled to sleep because of the noise.

“There was probably at least five cars over there, and they were revving, and you could hear tyres screeching and skidding,” she said.

“It was really loud and people from all over the area could hear it, and it was loud enough to wake you up because the screeching was very high-pitched.”

Eventually, after tormenting nearby residents, young and old, for just under an hour, the boy racers apparently then left the site following suspected police intervention.

But, according to the eyewitness, drivers meeting at the centre is a frequent occurrence, and she fears it will result in serious consequences if allowed to continue.

“I would say this happens every couple of days or so, and it is really annoying because in my area there are a lot of elderly people and children,” she added.

“People think it is okay to be racing around and making loads of noise, and the police should be driving by every so often to double check.

“It is dangerous because they could lose control of the car at any moment, and that could result in an injury to them or somewhere else.”

Essex Police has been contacted for comment.