ACOUSTIC roadside cameras which catch noisy “boy racers” won’t be installed in Carmarthenshire, council leaders have decided.

The devices measure the noise of passing vehicles and take photos of those which exceed the legal noise limit.

Carmarthenshire Council approved a motion in September which said many residents had noticed “the advent of the ‘boy racer’ who not only tears along the streets of Carmarthenshire, but also have loud or popping exhausts”.

The motion said it was a multi-agency matter and called on the council to investigate the possibility of installing acoustic cameras in problem areas of the county.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on December 20, councillor Philip Hughes, whose brief includes noise complaints, said installing and maintaining four cameras would cost £110,000 and require 30 people to service them.

He also said the cameras weren’t mobile and needed a platform lift and electricians to install them.

“At present I cannot see that this is the most proportionate and appropriate way of proceeding,” he said.

Cllr Hughes said acoustic cameras were used in areas with a specific noise problem like Knightsbridge in London where, he said, drivers of “supercars” met up.

He said people in Carmarthenshire had submitted complaints about noisy vehicles but that they were spread across the county.

The council, he said, did address particular hotspots, such as car parks used at night, by installing bollards or barriers.

Cllr Hughes said he would have no hesitation in bringing in public space protection orders to tackle boy racers, if need be, and that he would continue to monitor noise complaints.

None of his cabinet colleagues objected to his proposal.

Cllr David Jenkins said the situation could be different in the future if the acoustic cameras could be easily moved from one place to another.

Earlier in the year Cllr John Prosser said cars raced along the coastal road in Llanelli and that there were also noise issues on the road between Burry Port and Kidwelly, and in Carmarthen.

“There are people being woken up in the middle of the night and children being woken up because they think there are fireworks going off – people are being disturbed,” he said.

Meanwhile, cabinet also rejected another council motion which called on Dyfed-Powys Police to revamp its non-emergency 101 phone line because of delays in answering.

Council leader Emlyn Dole said the force planned to upgrade its whole contact management system, including the 101 line, next financial year.

Cabinet will instead write to chief constable Richard Lewis to thank him for the planned work.

Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths said requesting an upgrade when it was in the offing “would sound as if we didn’t know what we were doing”.