DRIVERS met in the dead of night revving up engines and with exhausts making sounds “like fireworks” - to the despairs of residents living nearby.

The huge car meet of up to 40 vehicles was reported to the police at 11.30pm on Saturday at Southfields Business Park near West Mayne, Laindon.

Residents described hearing noises “like it was New Year’s Eve” causing families to be woken up.

It was reported the noises continued until 2am.

Essex Police confirmed officers attended initially to ensure the drivers behaved responsibly, but could not find any drivers later on in the night after further reports of disturbance.

John Scarola, ward councillor for Laindon Park, was one of those who was woken up.

He said: “We heard it as we were about to go to bed. We thought it was someone having a party.

“It was terrible, it was unbelievable the noise, I thought something was going to blow up, there was banging and crashing.

“It was so loud it was unreal.

“My thoughts go out to the police to break it all up. This has never happened before.”

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He added: “It’s a difficult one at night, you don’t want to get into a confrontation but I’m sure police did their job.”

One 53-year-old Laindon resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “It started about 11.30pm and went on to about 2am.

“I reported it as even some way from it, it was like fireworks going off with backfiring and revving of vehicles.

“I live some way from it but thought it was New Year’s and had to check the diary as started in earnest about midnight.”

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were called with a number of reports of cars being driven loudly and antisocially in Southfields Business Park shortly before 11.30pm on Saturday.

“We arrived at the scene and found between 30 and 40 cars in the area.

“Our officers stayed in the area to ensure those present began behaving appropriately.

“We received further calls from 1am reporting that vehicles were again being driven antisocially.

“We again attended the scene but no cars or individuals could be located and no sounds could be heard by our officers.”