CCTV cameras have been erected on a town roundabout after residents complained of drivers going the wrong way round the intersection and pulling handbrake turns in the early hours of the morning.

The surveillance equipment has been installed on the roundabout behind Homebase, in Sudbury, near to the Chilton industrial estate.

The chairman of Chilton Parish Council, Peter Clifford, said dangerous driving has been taking place at the location for the past 18 months

He said: “The problem was happening when it was damp. Drivers were coming up to the roundabout and pulling their handbrake and going around sideways.

“In some cases they were going the wrong way around.

“It was dangerous and there were concerns it might cause an accident. This was all happening at night and keeping residents awake.”

Mr Clifford said the cameras could also be useful in identifying cars in an area where there have been a spate of catalytic converter thefts, including from community transport operator Go START, which is based at the Chilton industrial estate.

A total of three cameras have been installed at a cost of around �4,000.

The money has come from Babergh District Council, Sudbury Town Council and Chilton Parish Council.

Sudbury county councillor Colin Spence also contributed to the scheme from his locality budget while Homebase has agreed to provide electricity for the cameras.

Sudbury Police Inspector Paul Crick said there are three cameras in total – one giving a view of the roundabout, one set up to record vehicles’ number plates and another to give a wider view of the entrance to the industrial estate.

He added: “This has been a priority for the safer neigbourhood team due to the danger and noise involved.

“Boy racers are a strange one for the police.

“They are generally a group of people who go about their life in an organised way, go out to work and spend a lot of money on their cars.

“But they need reminding that their activities can cause a lot of annoyance to residents.”