Footage of dangerous car races apparently staged on a public road in Bicester has been posted on an Internet video site.

The video clips, which appear to have been recorded on a mobile phone, show up to three cars at a time overtaking each other at speed on a two-lane road. Titled Saturday Night Drag Racing, the two minute film shows five races involving cars and, in one case, a motorbike.

Each race begins with a title page appearing to show the first names of the drivers and the make of the cars involved.

At the end of each clip, text flashes up to indicate who has won. Set to the pop song Highway to the Danger Zone, the footage also shows a stationary car parked off the main road spinning its wheels to create clouds of smoke.

Other clips posted on the site, claiming to be from the same group of people, show modified cars doing stunts in the car park outside Homebase in Launton Road.

These include wheel-spins, so-called 'doughnuts' where drivers spin vehicles around on the spot, and cars pulling youngsters on trolleys around the car park with lengths of rope.

In one clip, someone holding a piece of rope is dragged behind a car while standing on two fast food trays. At the end of one of the pieces of film, a youngster lifts up his or her T-shirt to reveal a large graze on their back.

Meetings of car enthusiasts, known as cruises, have increased in recent years due to the Internet.

They involve groups of car owners getting together to socialise, show off their cars, and swap driving tips.

Police spokesman Rebecca Webber said officers were aware of a cruise meeting in Bicester on December 3 at about 8pm.

She said: "About 20 vehicles were congregating in Homebase car park. Officers went down and spoke to them and warned them to keep it quiet.

"They received a complaint about an hour after they left so they went back down and moved them on. It was said they were driving at speed into the car park."

Although no formal action was taken on Sunday, police have the power to issue warnings to antisocial drivers and log cars' registration details in their national computer.

Cars receiving two such warnings within a year can be seized by police. Although police were unable to view the footage before the Oxford Mail went to press, Ms Webber said if road races were being held drivers could be prosecuted.

She said: "Police will be viewing the images in the next two weeks to determine if a prosecution would be possible."