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Lincolnshire Police tackle Boston motoring anti-social behaviour

Lincolnshire Police tackle Boston motoring anti-social behaviour

BBC News19-03-2025
Three vehicles have been seized by police in a crack down on modified cars and antisocial behaviour in Boston.Lincolnshire Police said its Operation Exhaust was prompted by "numerous complaints" over noisy exhausts and other driving incidents involving "boy racers" in the town.One car was caught with an exhaust so loud it was the equivalent of being at a rock concert, the force said, which has issued 24 tickets for traffic and vehicle offences.Sgt William Robson, who is based in Boston, said: "People feel intimidated by this behaviour. It's an aggressive act and, ultimately, we want it to stop."
The force said its operation on Friday had seen drivers caught for a number of offences including defective tyres, illegal window tints, not wearing seatbelts, modified registration plates and not being in proper control of a vehicle.Three vehicles were seized for document offences, it said.Sgt Robson said: "We will tackle antisocial behaviour in all forms whether that's vehicles, people causing problems in parks or littering. This action was part of that and was very successful."We try and engage with offenders but this was about upping the enforcement and drawing a line under it. We've had too many complaints to ignore it."
Police said the legal limit for a vehicle's exhaust was 72 decibels for cars produced since 2016. However, one car was caught with an exhaust recording 114.5 decibels, the equivalent to a rock concert.PC Phil McAllister, from the roads policing unit, said: "This wasn't just about noise, it was about a range of offences which cause distress to the public on a daily basis."We saw people wheel spinning and doing doughnuts. That is unacceptable and can put people lives in danger."The operation was criticised by some members of the public on social media who claimed the force should be tacking "more important" issues and crimes.One user described it as a "waste of taxpayer money" and said Lincolnshire Police should "do real police work".Sgt Robson defended the operation and told the BBC he found the negative comments "disappointing".He said: "While we had this operation going on we had many more officers out working on other crimes people are worried about."This was about specialist officers targeting a specific issue."
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Gregg Wallace says 'I am not a flasher' and says he is horrified to be compared to Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards as he again blames autism for not wearing underwear
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Gregg Wallace says 'I am not a flasher' and says he is horrified to be compared to Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards as he again blames autism for not wearing underwear

Disgraced presenter Gregg Wallace has hit out at critics for comparing him to Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, insisting he is 'not a groper, sex pest or a flasher'. The former MasterChef host, 60, tearfully apologised to anyone he had hurt in the wake of dozens of allegations of inappropriate behaviour, including claims that he dropped his trousers in front of staff. In his first interview since being sacked by the BBC in light of the complaints, Wallace broke down in tears as he spoke of the 'hurt' suffered by him and his family, insisting he had been unfairly treated in the media spotlight. He told The Sun that he understood some of his actions may have offended people and 'weren't socially acceptable' but denied being a 'wrong-un'. 'I'm not a groper. People think I've been taking my trousers down and exposing myself - I am not a flasher. People think I'm a sex pest. I am not,' he added. 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