FURIOUS Hagley residents are urging police to take action against street racers who have been turning rural roads into a racetrack to show off their fast cars.

People living near the A456 between Hagley and Halesowen say up to 50 performance cars have been regularly descending on the area by The Badgers Sett, together with as many onlookers, on Sunday nights over the last 12 months.

They have complained repeatedly to West Mercia Police over the late night street meets, which have been kicking off between 8.30pm and 10.30pm by The Badgers Sett pub, restaurant and hotel.

But they say they have been repeatedly fobbed off.

One villager, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said the problem has been "getting worse" lately and added: "We're trying to bring an end to this because it's happening every Sunday night.

"Sometimes they go round the island at Wassell Grove or down to the island where they're building new homes.

"It’s not just boy racers; it's street racing - one of the cars was a Lamborghini.

"The number coming far exceeds about 50 cars.

"Two weeks ago it was deafening and audiences of about 50 people have been coming to watch.

"People are fed up. In video footage filmed on Sunday night 21 cars race around the island in less than one minute with normal traffic mixed in between the racers. It's an accident waiting to happen."

Concerned Hagley resident Pete Rowbottom branded the situation "incredibly dangerous to other road users and an unacceptable nuisance to people living nearby" and he added: "It is vital that West Mercia Police deal with this serious matter as quickly and effectively as possible before there is a serious road accident.

"When police closed Hagley Police Station in 2013 to cut costs, the local Police Superintendent Kevin Purcell told villagers that resources would be diverted into more police vehicle patrols in Hagley so there should be more than enough police to deal with this serious issue."

Police say they have issued a number of section 59 orders to boy racers in the Bromsgrove district, which could lead to vehicles being seized and crushed if anti-social driving is witnessed again, but they would not say whether any have been slapped on drivers in Hagley.

Inspector Sarah Corteen, of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team for Bromsgrove, said: “We are currently running a prolonged operation to target nuisance drivers in the Bromsgrove area and we are looking to bring this issue in line with the operation. We're aware of it and are monitoring the situation."

Worcestershire County Councillor for Clent Hills, Rachel Jenkins, called for joined up working between West Mercia and West Midlands Police over the matter as car fanatics have been congregating by the Spar shop over the border in Halesowen before racing into the countryside at speeds thought to be up to 100mph.

She said: "I'd like to see both forces working together to resolve this. I sympathise with the residents and I'd urge them to call police every time this occurs."

Villagers plan to take their concerns to Hagley's police PACT meeting tonight (Thursday) which starts at 7pm at the Hagley Parish Council offices in Worcester Road.