A POLICE crackdown has seen more than 80 cars banned from a supermarket in Blackwood that has been plagued by car cruisers.

Police controlled the entrance and exit of the town’s Asda store on Thursday night to give cruisers a wake cup call and help the store issue banning notices.

The number plates of 85 cars have been recorded and will be recognised if they return to the store by the company’s camera.

Anyone who ignores the notice will be faced with a £60 penalty charge, which will be issued if banned drivers enter Asda Blackwood or any other Asda car park equipped with an automatic number plate recognition system.

Nigel Dix, Blackwood Caerphilly county councillor, welcomed the move, saying local residents who have had to put up with car cruisers in the town for many years will be pleased.

Mr Dix, who said the operation came following meeting between himself, the police and Asda, said: “If these penalties start filtering through people’s letter boxes this will start to send home the message that it is not the place to be gathering.”

More than 20 police officers took part in the operation with a police helicopter watching overhead to check if car cruisers were headed for anywhere else.

The move is the latest measure to tackle car cruisers with Blackwood High Street already closed from 7pm to 4am.

The town was once the country’s second most popular cruising destination, according to Gwent Police, with cruisers heading from as far away as London and Manchester.

At its peak 400 car cruisers descended on the Asda, McDonald’s, KFC and council office car parks every Thursday night.

Inspector Mark Smith for the Blackwood area said: “The new banning notices will be a huge deterrent to motorists thinking they can congregate in Asda on a Thursday night.”

EDITORIAL COMMENT: It’s time for cruise control

WE CAN understand why Asda and Gwent Police have taken such draconian steps against car cruisers who are using the store’s car park as a meeting place.

At first thought the involvement of the helicopter and the issuing of banning orders may seem over the top.

But, in our view, it is not going too far to say that these car cruisers have plagued Blackwood for many years.

To them of course they are just holding harmless gatherings to share their passion for cars. But for residents in Blackwood the influx of cars firstly to the High Street, and latterly to the car parks in the area has been nothing short of a nightmare.

Car cruisers have been travelling to Blackwood from as far away as London and Manchester for the Thursday night gatherings which have seen 400 cars descending on Asda, McDonald’s, KFC and council office car parks.

This is out of hand.

Let us hope that the 85 banning notices issued on Thursday night will act as a wake-up call to those involved and will deter them from making Blackwood their regular haunt.