A TRADER is under investigation by police after threatening to take action against boy racers in a car park.

Steve Kemp, who runs Dazzle in the Royal Arcade, Boscombe, says he and other traders and residents are desperate to stop boy racers using the Sovereign Centre car park in the evenings.

Mr Kemp, 51, who lives opposite in Gladstone Road, says that youths regularly skid around in fast cars doing handbrake turns keeping residents awake until 4am.

Youths also urinate where the disabled scooters are kept.

Mr Kemp says when he complained to police they told him it was not a police matter and car park owners Britannia Parking have refused to take action, he claimed.

But when he rang Britannia Parking and threatened to put tin tacks down in the car park, police threatened to charge him with criminal damage, claimed Mr Kemp.

He said: "In the last 18 months, they have moved from the East Cliff and boy racers are now using the car park at the Sovereign Centre from 10pm until 4am.

"They are skidding around doing handbrake turns and burning the back tyres off.

"It is keeping people awake at night. I've brought it up with Britannia Parking on at least 10 occasions and brought it up with the police 16 times in the last three weeks for them to do something about it, but they say it's a private car park and they can't do anything about it."

When the Echo contacted Britannia Parking yesterday, a spokesman said they would not comment as the matter was under investigation.

Insp Mark Kelly of Boscombe Police said police were investigating following a complaint made by Britannia Parking about Mr Kemp.

He said: "It's not a road, nor is it a highway, so the problem is noise created by some individuals who are on private property. That is something the police do not have any powers over."

Bournemouth Borough Council said it had received three complaints.

Sid Abbott, spokesman, said: "We have been made aware of the problem and have sent out noise diary sheets to the complainants."

The council can take action if it decides the noise is a statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, he added.