Police abandoned an undercover operation aimed at cracking down on boy racers on Southend seafront because they feared somebody would be killed, it was revealed today.

Uniformed traffic officers were drafted in to stop dangerous driving by dozens of drivers who jammed Western Esplanade into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police said that had they not stepped in to stop the bedlam, it would only have been a matter of time before someone was killed or seriously injured.

Sgt Paul Barber of Southend police has been leading Operation Garston - a seasonal undercover crackdown on dangerous driving on the seafront.

He said: "I have never seen anything like it - I don't scare easily but what these youngsters were doing was something else. I was left with no choice but to call the whole night's plans off."

However, police today vowed the cruisers have not won the day. Undercover work will continue and those who offend will find themselves in court.

Sgt Barber added: "Many think they can get around us - but they can't. We have even had some putting bin bags over the speed cameras. Let me say here and now that it won't work!".

The two-day clampdown saw police stop two drivers who have been reported for careless driving. Another 37 will receive a summons to appear in court for speeding offences. Around 40 more speeding drivers have already been netted.

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