People living in an affluent village have said the number of supercar drivers flocking to the area is damaging local businesses.

Alderley Edge has seen a number of so-called “supercar meets” in recent years, which police have described as illegal.

One councillor said it was “intrusive and deeply frustrating” and some people stay away from the village as a result.

Cheshire Police has put a dispersal order in place.

Ch Insp Zoe Bowden said she understood the “frustration and anger that illegal car meets cause”. The police have launched a new operation after recent reports of events.

The force has put a dispersal order in place from the village up to the roundabout on the A34 from 10am on Saturday (15 March) until 10pm the following day.

Car meets can attract hundreds of people.

The police said alarm and distress to residents have been caused by noise and anti-social behaviour, and that some of those attending park their vehicles in areas blocking highways.

A noise-activated camera was installed on a trial-basis in 2022 after complaints from locals.

“This is an ongoing problem in the local area and I want to reassure residents that we are committed to doing all we can to tackle the issue,” said Ch Insp Bowden said.

She added the police were not targeting “people meeting in their cars peacefully”, but those “disrupting local communities and acting in an anti-social manner”.

A recent video on social media showed a near miss with an Audi on the A34 roundabout near Alderley Edge.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said the force was aware of the video.

“Enquiries in relation to the matter are ongoing and officers are working hard to establish the identity of the driver,” they said.

Craig Browne, who is an independent Cheshire East councillor for Alderley Edge and former deputy leader, said the village welcomed visitors “as long as they’re not causing anti-social behaviour issues”.

“No resident has any problem at all with nice vehicles driving through the village and coming to visit,” he said.

“What is a problem is the manner in which some of the vehicles are being driven”.

He said there were safety concerns, including examples he’s seen of drivers doing doughnuts at junctions and large numbers of people standing on footpaths blocking elderly residents or those with pushchairs from getting through.

“They have to actually walk in the road to get around them, and of course that is a danger to them at any time, but particularly when there are an increased number of vehicles on the roads,” he said.

Local businesses say it impacts them, with one saying the events were a “disaster”.

“I’ve seen a lot of our customers shying away, they don’t come in”, they said.

“They’re not contributing to the local economy but for me it’s not about money, it’s about safety and preventing people from enjoying their village.”

Another said the events cost them money.

“They don’t shop in any of the shops, we all lose trade,” they said.

Meanwhile, villagers say they have safety concerns.

“It’s quite dangerous because kids are in the road,” said one lady.

“Maybe some guidelines on where’s safe to be would be good, I wouldn’t want to be a party pooper for the young kids that love it.”

One man said it should “probably not” take place around pedestrian areas.

“If it could be organised to be safer, but I get the appeal is to not be safe,” he said.

And another said he had seen people nearly get run over trying to take pictures.

“They should go and hire a race track,” he said.