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'CRUISERS' IN CONFLICT

Hundreds of cars are attracted to Team Valley in Gateshead on a Saturday night.

Young car fanatics, also referred to as ‘cruisers’, congregate there to exhibit their cars.

Many of the cruisers have happily spent thousands of pounds and countless hours on car modifications.

But conflict is brewing within this growing subculture - only not as you would expect.

Nationwide craze

In other parts of the country, there is huge tension between cruisers and residents living near cruise meeting places.

The residents are angry at the levels of noise, congested roads and dangerous driving that the cruisers often exhibit.

Some people here are calling for cruises to be banned altogether.

Conflict

In the North East the conflict is different because the cruises don't take place on public roads near residential areas.

They majority are resigned to quiet car parks.

The conflict is from within.

The proud cruisers are angry at a minority of the subculture who they refer to as "idiots".

A fan of burnouts explains its 'entertainment' value

These people turn up at the ‘meets’, do hand brake turns, burnouts and other dangerous driving manoeuvres.

This behaviour attracts negative attention, often from the police and gives cruising a bad name.

One such cruiser attempts to justify his behaviour, "It’s a bit boring where all the cars are sitting about so we just do some entertainment for everybody."

"We do some burnouts."

One angry cruiser tells Inside Out, "It spoils it for everyone."

"You can organise a decent cruise… and it only lasts five minutes because as soon as that [dangerous driving] starts, it gets shut down by the police."

Hobby

For the majority of cruisers who Inside Out met, cruising is a harmless hobby.

One passionate car fanatic says, "Why don’t they just do like in football."

"Ban the hooligans. Come in and take them away and leave us to it."

Police monitoring

Tyneside police agree that the nuisance factor is small at such meetings.

"Only if things get really out of hand will we intervene."

Inspector Paul Gilroy of Northumbria Police told Inside Out, "The situation is not in essence an offence if they do it on private land."

"If injury or death result it will change the situation quite dramatically."

Let's hope that injury or death is not the catalyst needed to halt dangerous driving displayed by the minority.

For the moment though, it looks as though cruises in the North East are here to stay - exactly as they are.