Two alleged drag racers have been arrested and charged after one of the biggest ‘car cruise’ events the region has ever seen.

Connor Aldred, 21 of Barton Road, Bolton, and Callum Willey, 18 of Landseer Mount Leeds were both arrested and charged with dangerous driving after the car cruise event last Sunday.

The event involved more than 350 vehicles and was spread over Salford, Wigan, Trafford and Cheadle, starting in Stockport.

Superintendent John-Paul Ruffle of Specialist Operations at GMP said: “We were aware that the event was taking place in Stockport, a town that benefits from a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), and there were 100 plus cars at this particular site.

“Once there, we became aware that there were 200 other vehicles gathering on Trafford Retail Park.

“This quickly escalated into a further 30 cars on Westwood Way in Wigan and another 40 being reported at AJ Bell stadium in Salford.

“Through our effective resourcing and first-class planning, we were able to attend all of these events and quickly shut them down.”

He added: “This was a great achievement for GMP and our partners, sending a clear message to anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to organise and/or attend these kinds of events, that Greater Manchester police will stop you and deal with you.”

Aldred and Willey were both arrested after taking part in an alleged drag race and allegedly driving in an anti-social manner in Salford.

They have both been released on bail and will appear before Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court on Tuesday November 29.

A third person was arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour and has been released under investigation.

As well as the three arrests, six vehicles were seized from drivers who were allegedly driving in an antisocial manner, while nine other drivers received S59 warnings, meaning if they are caught again, their vehicles will be seized.

Two other vehicles were also taken from drivers, due to them having invalid insurance or no driving licence and several people are now facing fines for breaching the PSPO Public Spaces Protection Order in Stockport.

The arrests were made as part of Operation Marshall, an attempt by Greater Manchester Police to crack down on the risks and criminality associated with car cruise events.

Superintendent Ruffle said: “Operation Marshall was instigated to effectively manage this car cruise event and was dealt with swiftly and proactively by departments across Specialist Operations, the force gold reserve and district officers.”

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He added: “This intervention met all Operation Marshall objectives, and I would like to thank everyone involved on the night, including our colleagues at the Cheshire Constabulary, who provided us with invaluable support.”

Officers have appealed for anyone concerned about car cruise events or similar kinds of anti-social behaviour on the roads to get in touch with them via gmp.police.uk or by calling 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency

Alternatively, witnesses can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.