Over the last few years Kensington and Chelsea has become the desired destination for supercar drivers who want to ship their cars over for summer in London. These supercars are shipped over from abroad so owners can escape the unbearable heat of summers in hotter climates. Now, after years of “frustration”, locals are fearing Covid travel relaxations will mean the return of the “disrupting, dangerous and loud vehicles”.
In recent times, the importation of supercars into Central London got so disruptive that in July 2015, Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council launched a consultation to introduce new measures to tackle what it calls “the problem of supercars”. Residents were complaining about excessive noise levels and anti-social behaviour. According to locals, the problems in Knightsbridge didn’t stop and now the desired area is bracing itself for “another supercar season”.
Except for a few accidents, the “supercar season” has been relatively quiet over the last few years. Residents have said that coronavirus has stopped the influx of tourists and they are now fearful that the relaxing of travel rules will encourage the “boy racers” to come back.
(Image: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
One Knightsbridge resident of 40-years, Richard Groper, 67, who works as a banker, said: “You might think that this isn’t the worst thing in the world but it’s dangerous and annoying. They speed through the roads and keep us awake at night. I’m a bit old now but if my kids were young I’d be rather p***** off.
“It’s not just the annoying noise but they could hit someone and take a life. Especially very young or elderly people. They also risk their own cars because just last year there was a crash which ruined loads of ‘supercars’. They don’t care about speeding fines or noise because their cars are worth hundreds of thousands. A £100 fine means nothing to them.
“The last year or so was alright as we were in lockdowns and travel was restricted. Now I think it’ll be worse this year. With no real restrictions left it will return to how it was before the pandemic.”
Although relatively quiet, there have been a few incidents that highlighted the problem over the last few years. Cars were confiscated by police after videos of owners performing doughnuts in Chelsea were shared on social media. In 2020, a driver also caused carnage when he crashed into a £1 million row of supercars on a late-night race through Knightsbridge.
A string of luxury cars including a Bentley Bentayga, a £300,000 McLaren, and a Porsche Cayenne, were seriously damaged. Just a year later, in 2021, a Russian model’s diamond encrusted supercar was smashed into from behind, meaning the £270k car was wrecked.
To top it off, 2021 saw locals place posters in surrounding areas to try and encourage drivers to lower their noise levels. Locals later said that the posters were “a waste of paper” and weren’t even looked at by “disruptive tourists”.
Susanna Nelly-Jean, 51, is part of the group who put posters up in the area and has campaigned for more to be done to stop the supercars “causing havoc” over the summer months. She said: “We took matters into our own hands. It didn’t work. The thing is the council is doing a lot to help. They have set up acoustic cameras, a big fine for loud drivers (£400) and always encourage the cars to be reported to them.
“A lot of us that live in the area have come to the realisation that it isn’t going to stop. The drivers don’t care about fines. They also don’t care about how it is affecting our community, they don’t live here, why would they care?”
The Council’s plan to stop supercars has included an initiative by Kensington and Chelsea who invested in special acoustic cameras installed across the borough. They have caught 289 motorists driving at more than 100 decibels (dB), The Sunday Times reported. One Lamborghini was even recorded at 112.9dB – as loud as a rock concert. Exposure to more than 85dB for extended periods can cause permanent hearing loss.
Kensington and Chelsea councillor Johnny Thalassites, secured a Public Spaces Protection Order so that drivers could be fined. He tweeted: “Acoustic cameras have resulted in hundreds of fines across RBKC and zero repeat offenders. Some vehicles surpass 100dB – the volume of a helicopter at take off. We want FPN tariffs to rise to £400, so that other boroughs can use cameras to enforce against noisy vehicles.”
Locals hope these measures can keep the supercars at bay. However, they are not hopeful and both Susanna and Richard both said they were “worried” about this upcoming summer.
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