Tourists in fear as joyriders take over beach car park
Wednesday July 28 2010
HOLIDAY-makers in Banna were left in a state of terror this week when boy-racers took over the main car-park and began racing their cars up and down along the promenade, pulling 'doughnuts' and doing hand-break turns.
Numerous families were holidaying in camper vans in the main car-park at Banna late on Wednesday night when the 'cruise' — as it is known in boy-racer parlance — took place. One local man who witnessed the scene said the behaviour of those taking part was extremely dangerous and holiday-makers were terrified.
"It was savage what they were up to," the witness told The Kerryman. "A load of cars suddenly roared into the car-park and they were doing every kind of a thing. There were a number of families in camper vans at the time and it was obvious they were terrified by the experience.
"It lasted for about half an hour and we were all trapped in the car-park for that time," he said. He watched as the young drivers raced each other up and down the carpark, pulled 'doughnuts' — where a car is caused to skid in a tyre-burning circle — and executed handbreak turns.
"It was extremely dangerous, but it was impossible to get a number plate to report them as they were moving so fast. The smell of burning rubber was unreal and the chips from the car park were flying in all directions. They moved off as suddenly as they came after about half-an-hour and throughout the whole thing I could see one car keeping a lookout, presumably for gardaí, towards the entrance road," he added.
This was the latest episode in a series of boy-racer disturbances in the North Kerry area in recent months. It is understood the cruises are organised by text message and last for very short periods, making it difficult for gardaí to clamp down on them.
" These young fellows should have their cars taken off them and crushed as it is the only thing that would make them think twice the next time," the eye-witness said.
- DONAL NOLAN dnolan@kerryman.ie
