BOY racers stopped from meeting at a Trowbridge car park have moved to another spot just down the road.

A police crackdown on youngsters congregating at the Spitfire Retail Park, Bradley Road, has shifted the problem to the neighbouring B&Q car park.

Insp Glynn Hookings, of Trowbridge Police, said: "We have had high profile policing at Spitfire Retail Park but it hasn't solved the problem, it has displaced it."

The boy racers congregate in one place, using it as a starting point to race through the town centre and back again.

A police operation in the town centre resulted in eight prohibition notices being issued to drivers.

Insp Hookings said: "The notices immediately stop them from being able to use the vehicles on the road until a defect is sorted out."

Many of the vehicle defects spotted by police were to do with alterations made to the cars, including tinted windows drivers could hardly see out of and illegal lights.

Police launched Operation Curb last year to try and tackle the problem of boy racers, which centred on the Spitfire Retail Park.

The operation saw 12 vehicles banned from the park between 7pm and midnight, with banning letters sent out to the registered owners, who were often the parents of youngsters involved.

Barriers were put up at the site, owned by Friends Provident, and McDonald's put in extra speed bumps to deter drivers who had been racing and performing dangerous handbrake turns.

But there are fears that whenever police crack down on one area of the town, the drivers will simply move to another.

Town councillor Gerry Burnan said: "The problem is of course that there's always another let out.

"You block them out in one place and they start to move off into another. It's a never ending story."

Police are now holding discussions with managers at B&Q but are hoping a longer-term solution may be found in educating young people on the law and the effect their behaviour has on the rest of the community.

Insp Hookings said: "We are looking to run an education programme and hold a meeting with young people before the summer, when the problem gets worse.

"It is an opportunity to break down barriers as opposed to it being 'them and us'."