Police in London have seized 60 supercars in a clampdown on antisocial behaviour on London's roads.
Five people were also apprehended in the operation which targeted drivers accused of driving poorly or at high speed in Westminster.
Officers seized £6 million worth of cars including McLarens, Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Ferraris and Lamborghinis in a bid to prevent them from causing further issues.
The operation began on August 2 and continued through the weekend with assistance from Westminster City Council and the Motor Insurance Bureau.
Officers also made five arrests, including for insurance fraud, using a mobile phone at the wheel, not using a seat belt and driving without due care.
Metropolitan Police Special Inspector Geoff Tatman described the operation as “hugely successful” and said it would lead to a reduction of antisocial driving which was causing much distress to residents and tourists.
Westminster City councillor Paul Dimoldenberg said people who used roads as their “own private racetrack late at night” were not welcome in Westminster.
He welcomed the clampdown as noisy and dangerous driving from “boy racers” was often worse during the summer months.
“This underlines the council’s zero-tolerance approach to antisocial driving,” he said.
“We will continue to work alongside the police and other local authorities to make sure the racing stays on the racetrack and not on our streets.”
Supercars have long been a popular feature of London's most upscale areas, including Knightsbridge, Mayfair and Kensington.
This year, it was revealed that hundreds of supercars had been fined for breaking London’s noise laws after the installation of specialist cameras in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The National found that 683 drivers have been fined under the scheme between 2021 and 2024 for exceeding the legal noise level resulting in about £70,000 in total fines.
The council revealed that 110 Lamborghinis, 51 Ferraris, 39 Porsches, 12 Aston Martins and three Bentleys were among the supercars which have been caught. There were also dozens of Audis, BMWs and Mercedes.
Those caught are fined £100 ($126) and repeat offenders can face having their cars seized.
Royal Kensington and Chelsea Council told The National it felt the scheme was working, as they do not see many repeat offenders.
“All the footage is reviewed by a human being so fines aren’t automated based on noise alone,” they said.
“It’s not just about noise but about antisocial driving. If you’re driving your high-performance vehicle or classic car safely and respectfully, and it happens to be loud, you’d be very unlikely to be fined for that.”
