‘Donuting’ warning follows Bolney driving conviction

A Sussex Police statement says that 26-year old Martin Hughes of Boundstone Lane, Lancing, pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates Court on Wednesday 26 March to careless driving. He was fined £220, had five penalty points put on his driving licence, and was ordered to pay £85 costs and £23 Victims Surcharge.

The statement adds that on Friday 7 June last year, patrolling Road Policing officers noticed tell-tale black rings of tyre rubber deposits on the roundabout at Bolney which connects the A23 with the A272.

As they approached the roundabout they also saw an old 3-series BMW stop next to a second unknown vehicle which was on the north exit of the roundabout at its give-way markings.

Suspecting the vehicles were responsible for the drifting rubber tyre deposits, the officers drove past the vehicles in their unmarked car, and after less than a minute the BMW accelerated away, revving its engine hard with tyres screeching, and drifting into a hand brake turn manoeuvre around the roundabout several times before exiting to the A272 where the officers stopped it.

The car tyres were hot and sticky and very close to the legal limit, and smelt strongly of burning rubber. The car was fitted with a specially adapted hydraulic ram type handbrake.

PC Ian Upperton said; “This irresponsible practice is a hazard to other road users, both because of the risk of collision at the time, and because the road surface can be damaged. If you spot anyone driving like this, call police via 101 or report the incident via the Operation Crackdown website www.operationcrackdown.org “