A dispersal order has been put in place for Southend following information that an unauthorised car cruising event is planned for this evening, Saturday, June 23. 

The order will run from 5pm today to 2am tomorrow, Sunday, June 24. 

The order has been made under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and gives our officers the power to order people causing anti-social behaviour to leave the area.

It is a criminal offence to breach a direction given under the order and in the worst cases this can result in a criminal conviction punishable by up to six months imprisonment or a fine of up to £5,000.

The order covers Western Esplanade, Marine Parade, Eastern Esplanade and Thorpe Esplanade.

Echo:

Inspector Ian Hughes from Southend Community Policing Team, said:

“We believe an unauthorised car cruise event is due to take place, involving a large number of vehicles expected to attend Southend seafront.

“There is a multi-agency response to this event from Southend Borough Council, Essex Police, APCOA (parking enforcement) and a number of other agencies to minimise the disruption to the community and to address any instances of anti-social behaviour.” 

“Thank you in advance to the local community for their patience, and for supporting us with the matter.”