COPS have arrested a man after shocking footage of a “midnight boy racer” speeding at 180mph on the M4 during Boxing Day was released.
Footage on Snapchat showed the speedometer of a car appearing to hover close to the incredible mark after a number of racers gathered at Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate in Wiltshire.
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A man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after the jaw-dropping footage emerged, cops confirmed.
The hair-raising video was captioned: “Hitting 180 on the M4”, followed by a crying-with-laughter emoji and a green tick.
Wiltshire Police launched an investigation after the images were shared across social media, with a man in his 30s from Eastleaze, Swindon, now in custody.
He was arrested on Thursday night after the hair-raising manouevre on Boxing Day.
The force said it believed the incident took place following the Chippenham meeting on December 26, before warning others against driving dangerously on public roads.
Sergeant Ben Cox said: “It goes without saying that these kinds of speeds are absolutely ridiculous and this behaviour will not be tolerated.
“We will identify those involved and ensure they are put before the courts so that they can be held accountable for their actions.
“A number of members of the public contacted us who witnessed this behaviour on the M4 – if you have any information which could assist please get in touch.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact police by calling 101, quoting reference number 54230137111.
The Chippenham event was organised by Wiltshire Car Scene, which has more than 13,000 followers across its Instagram and TikTok profiles.
Other footage shared by the organisers on TikTok showed cars driving side by side as crowds watched, and other vehicles spinning their tyres.
One video, captioned “Police enjoying the meet”, showed officers talking to attendees as the drivers of a pair of modified Volkswagen motors revved their engines, exhausts popping and spitting fire.
Chief Superintendent Phil Staynings said of the operation this month: “As we have said previously, we recognise that genuine car enthusiasts meet lawfully and do so in a manner that doesn’t cause distress to local residents.
“However, we also recognise that the public expects us to act on the small number of people who choose to behave in an antisocial manner and cause disruption to our local communities.
“Working as part of Op Staysail, we will endeavour to ensure the public suffer the minimum amount of disruption from car meets, and we will continue to robustly deal with any offences committed.”
