ONE person was arrested after police and council staff moved in to disrupt a mass car meet-up.
Providing an update on the joint operation which took place in Banbury on Sunday, Thames Valley Police said a 26-year-old man from Bicester was arrested on suspicion of drink/drug driving.
He has since been released under investigation.
Officers thanked the majority of the 400 attendees for their cooperation as the event eventually went ahead in Halford's car park in Southam Road.
It had previously been moved on from the Gateway Shopping Park due to fears that some were intending on racing or performing dangerous stunts.
Police remained on the scene for the duration to monitor what was happening.
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Neighbourhood Inspector John Batty said: “Overall those who attended this car cruise event were genuine car enthusiasts and were not looking to cause trouble.
“They engaged well with officers and worked with them to keep disruption to the local community to a minimum.
“Although anti-social behaviour was reduced on this occasion, we continue to ask that those organising large scale events work with the local authority to make sure we keep our communities safe.”
Yesterday organisers of the event thanked those who still managed to turn up despite the last-minute location change, and said £221.48 had been raised for the charity Help for Heroes.
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Councillor Andrew McHugh, Cherwell’s lead member for health and wellbeing, said: “For anyone looking to organise a large public event, the council and its partners can offer clear guidance to make sure the safety of those attending is properly taken care of.
“This unauthorised event could have posed a real risk to public safety and I am delighted that we were able to work proactively with the police to minimise that danger on this occasion.”
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