A CONVOY of boyracers are making a nightly pilgrimage to a quiet residential street to smoke cannabis and play loud music.

Homeowners have reported up to 20 cars congregating in the evening, near the former water tower in Bolton Road, Westhoughton.

Neighbours say they are being kept awake at night by the sound of car radios, the glare of headlights and the acrid smell of cannabis wafting through open windows.

Fast food packaging, cans and sweet wrappers have also been left discarded in the road and hedgerows.

Councillor Bernadette Eckersley-Fallon, Wingates Ward, said she received complaints from residents who are becoming increasingly distressed at the nightly disturbances.

She said: "It's getting worse by the week. It started out as a couple of cars quietly parking up and trying to be discreet, but now it's getting out of control.

"There can be up to ten cars there on any given night, and one elderly resident reported up to 20 cars one night. I've been told they are there till 4am sometimes.

"It's intimidating for the families who live near the water tower. They are afraid of confronting them because they don't know how they'll react. If they are under the influence of drugs, they could be unpredictable."

The Bolton News:

The cars have been parking up beside the road near the water tower in Westhoughton

Cllr Eckersley-Fallon visited the area on Tuesday evening and counted six cars parked together.

She said she found a number of small empty plastic bags, commonly used to carry cannabis, scattered on the pavement.

She also discovered a number of silver gas canisters littering the road. The metal canisters are known to contain nitrous oxide, or laughing gas and used as a recreational drug.

She said: "You can go up there any night and you'll see people parked up, and they're not walking dogs or enjoying the view. It's anti-social and it's affecting people's lives on a daily basis.

"It's a good, close community around here and people should feel safe on their own doorstep. But it can be very intimidating to see your street taken over at night by so many people, who are brazenly doing something they know they shouldn't be doing."

The Bolton News:

Small plastic bags, used to transport cannabis, litter the pavement

The Wingates councillor has reported her concerns to her neighbourhood police officer.

She added: "In Westhoughton, we pay for an extra unmarked police car. So the people who are using this quiet street to do anything illegal should be warned that the unmarked police car will be visiting the spot on regular patrols."