Drivers demand action over '˜attacks' on road

Officers have received numerous reports of yobs throwing items at vehicles in the Waterloo Road and Seasiders Way area in recent weeks.

And taxi drivers are now saying they could avoid the area if police do not get a grip on the issue.

One driver told The Gazette his car had been hit by missiles include stones and eggs and said damage is being done ‘nearly every night’.

Another said his cab had narrowly missed being hit by a brick thrown from the roadside.

Some drivers even suggested on social media they could ‘withdraw services’ should the problem not be addressed.

Dee Grant, a director of C-Cabs, said the problem had been going on for months.

She said: “There have been issues with eggs being thrown for some time.

“I believe now it may have escalated.One of our shareholders reported a rock being thrown. They need to deal with this right now before someone is killed.

“If an object is thrown at your car, whether it is an egg or a brick you instinctively swerve.

“The pavements in that areas are low and if a driver was to hit a pedestrian they would have to live with the consequences forever.”

The cab boss said officers had upped their presence in the area following a spike in incidents earlier this year but the impact had been short-lived.

She said: “They did put a few officers in for a weekend and that worked but things seem to have slipped back to how they were.

“The police need to show they are taking this seriously and put a stop to it quickly.”

Dee believes there is a precedent for refusing to serve an area but hopes such a radical move will not be necessary .

She said: “We’ve had it in the past where drivers would not go to Grange Park.

“There would have to be serious lack of action for that to happen here. I hope it does not come to that.”

One firm is now reporting every single incident to police in the hope of seeing a resolution. A spokesman for Premier Cabs said: “It has been a problem for a long time and we have had cars damaged. We warn our drivers every night to be careful in the area.

“We used to wait until cars were damaged before we reported it to the police, but now we report any incidents we see. Something has to be done before a driver or passenger is hurt.”

Police admit they may have under-estminated the situation in South Shore and were planning to step up their presence in the area.

PCSO Phillip Webster and PC Georgina Moore, from the South Shore neighbourhood policing team, said a ‘few incidents’ have been reported to officers lately, but said ‘it would appear to be a bigger issue than our systems would show’.

A police spokesman said: “We are dealing with all reported incidents robustly and appropriately.

“We have a dedicated anti social behaviour patrol car with tasking to target the area, along with high visibility foot patrol throughout all times of the day.

“We have also been in contact with Blackpool Council to ensure CCTV is monitoring the area.”