Southend seafront ground to a halt on Sunday night as a massive car meet brought Western Esplanade to a standstill. Every seafront car park was full, with fish and chip shops, arcades and cafés all having queues stretching outside, as hundreds of car enthusiasts descended on the promenade.
The bank holiday meet was organised by a car club called A10meets and billed as the South Mimms to Southend Cruise. Drivers gathered at South Mimms service station at 6.30pm before setting off in convoy, arriving on Southend seafront around 7.30pm.
Organisers encouraged participants to enjoy the strip in the old cruising tradition. Their message to attendees was: “Do as many laps of the strip as you like then park up and chill to enjoy the night!”
A Southend resident, Dave Bowler, praised the vibe: “I purposely got caught up in it and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Fantastic atmosphere, and car enthusiasts. It seemed like the police kept a low profile too, and let it flow. Success all round. Lovely to see people enjoying themselves.”
Essex Police and Southend’s Community Safety Officers patrolled the seafront, welcoming the car meet in principle but stepping in where public safety was compromised. Police officers seized four vehicles during the evening amid reports of speeding, burnouts and reckless manoeuvres.
A police spokesperson said: “When groups of car enthusiasts gather in towns across Essex, the majority largely pass off safely and without incident and we welcome them.
“However, there have been occasions when our officers have been forced to take enforcement action when drivers have put other road users and spectators in danger. Sadly, tonight we’ve already seen some incidents of speeding, racing, and drivers performing burnouts or other dangerous manoeuvres. This leaves our officers with no choice but to act.
“We understand people love their cars but that cannot be at the expense of people’s safety or local residents’ quality of life. In 2023, two spectators were knocked over by a driver racing in Thurrock, and spectators have been killed at car meets in other parts of country. Tragically, there have already been 43 deaths on the roads of Essex this year – a number that is far too high.
“So, while we genuinely encourage and support such car meets, we’d please urge attendees to keep public safety in mind this evening. If cars are driven irresponsibly or anti-socially in Southend or anywhere else in Essex, we will intervene.”
Many people savoured the nostalgic atmosphere: Kim Regan said: “It was lovely to see the cars – some of them took me back to my teen years. I loved the wraps on some of them.”
Caroline Louise felt the revival of seafront car meets was overdue:
“It seems like the 90s / early 2000s car scene is making a full come back and I’m all for it! I’m not even bothered about cars either! It’s nice seeing people showing off their pride and joy.”
And Dax Anderson pointed to wider community benefits:
“Personally I’m glad these enthusiasts have chosen Southend for their meets and believe more enthusiasts ie bikers, boaters, market traders etc should get involved and liven up the seafront and bringing much needed revenue and good vibes.”
But not everyone was pleased. Elaine Barber said:
“Visitors to the Cliffs Pavilion theatre were unable to park on the seafront. I missed a show because of this meet. Not everyone is interested in these cars.”
Simon Ford, Head of Community Safety at Southend City Council, said: “The large car meet in the city over the weekend was exceptionally busy but went ahead without any major incidents. Our Community Safety Unit (CSU) worked jointly with Essex Police throughout the evening to help keep people safe.
“Enforcement action did take place where necessary, and the council’s extensive CCTV system was used to capture and record breaches of the city’s car cruise Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).
“We will continue to work closely with police and partners to monitor these events, take action where required, and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents.”
Another car club called Old Fellas Car Culture has already announced another, “even bigger”, seafront event scheduled for Saturday 30 August 2025.
The event titled Old Skool Reunion Southend-on-Sea encourages attendees to bring cars that were part if the vibrant car culture of the 80s 90s and 00s from iconic RS Turbos and Cossies to classic old-school Cavaliers!
A spokesperson for the car club said: “We’re true car enthusiasts – we’re petrolheads and we miss the old skool vibes like no other.
“Southend is THE place to host this event! The sheer volume and quality of cars we attract is phenomenal and the people that come with it are awesome.
“We live and breathe this so it’s a honour for us to have a meet that we can share with like minded individuals – including people who bring their family’s and enjoy seeing the cars go down memory lane.
“So in true Old Fellas words… dust off your classics, add a splash of joop – we going to have an old skool reunion!”
Residents and visitors are being warned to expect long delays across central and Westcliff seafront areas during the next meet, with heavy traffic and packed car parks likely.
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