A RETAIL park owner says action will be taken to prevent hundreds of modified cars descending on the site again, after complaints from residents.

The owner of Elgar Retail Park says it did not give permission for the mass meet-up and is working to “prevent future gatherings” from taking place.

The All-Mods event on Sunday evening (January 13), from 5pm-9pm, saw an estimated 450 modified cars and as many as 1,000 people descend on the retail park in Blackpole Road, Worcester.

Residents complained about the noise created by revving engines and backfiring exhausts – something those in attendance have denied.

Legal & General, which owns the retail park, said investigations are underway regarding what “options are available to discourage further incidents”.

The spokesman added that such events “can be extremely challenging to police when the park is open to the public and access is required for vehicles”.

City councillor Jo Hodges has said the meetings are “definitely not something we want happening in the retail park” and hopes to organise talks with all parties involved.

“Ideally, we can speak to the organisers and get them to agree that a setting like the retail park, which is in an urban area, is totally unsuitable for these meetings and bound to disturb residents,” she continued.

Cllr Hodges, who represents Warndon, said it is difficult for police because nothing necessarily illegal took place at the meeting.

“It’s caused lots of distress and residents are very upset by what’s gone on,” she said. “The noise and disruption would perhaps be classed as a public order offence, if anyone was put in fear. The police have their hands tied.”

She said a barrier system would be one potential solution to the problem.

A 56-year-old Blackpole resident, who wished to remain anonymous, and who went to scope out the event incognito, did admit it was only a select few in attendance who were causing an issue.

He said that when the KFC restaurant was first opened at Elgar Retail Park, barriers were put in, which, for a short time, did prevent this sort of issue.

“We were already having problems locally with boy-racers [when KFC opened], so myself and other residents and councillors organised a meeting with the park’s management group at the time,” he explained.

A “gentleman’s agreement” was put in place, he claimed, with the management agreeing to have a bollard system fitted, which would be closed by security staff in the evening.

This meant the majority of the businesses had closed for the day, but there was still access to the fast food restaurant.

“But they put in the cheapest possible bollard, which involved a chain being slung across the entrance, and I think the security guards got sick of it and gave up,” he said.

“People were just pulling the posts out of the ground and the council couldn’t do anything to enforce it.

“But for a short-time, it did prevent the boy-racers.”

The resident said nearby Blackpole Retail Park has “barriers and lift-up bars, and it works perfectly” – because customers can access the McDonald’s but not the whole car park when closed.

“I want a resolution for everyone,” he continued. “We are not selfish, there’s a solution that doesn’t annoy everyone and that’s to hold these meetings away from residential areas. We don’t want to spoil their fun, but we will not put up with it.”

He said police “pounced” on some of the car enthusiasts, who appeared to be doing excessive speeds, on Sunday as they left the car park.

“But they got wise to it. The next car was a Subaru Impreza, but it came like a pedal car, they couldn’t have come out any slower if they tried. The police could’ve done them for driving too slow,” he said.

West Mercia Police have confirmed there was a marked police car present at the event.

The Legal & General spokesman said: “The All Mods group did not have permission to be on Elgar Retail Park and as our first concern is always for the safety and wellbeing of shoppers and local residents, we are in the process of contacting the organisation and West Mercia Police, in an aim to prevent future gatherings at the retail park.

“We will also investigate what other options are available to us to discourage further incidents, which can be extremely challenging to police when the park is open to the public and access is required for vehicles.”

All-Mods did not respond to the Worcester News' request for a comment.

We previously reported that Sunday’s event raised just under £850 for St Richard’s Hospice in Worcester.