London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Unbearable assault! Unemployed drag racers a nightly nuisance to residents - Lorna Smith

Unbearable assault! Unemployed drag racers a nightly nuisance to residents - Lorna Smith

Local businesswoman and former First Lady of the British Virgin Islands, Lorna Smith, wants authorities to intervene in what she refers to as an ‘unbearable’ nuisance brought on by unemployed drag racers during the night-time hours.

In an open letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police Michael Matthews and Governor Augustus Jaspert, Smith said the disturbance has been ongoing for the last two months.

She said it typically begins at 6 pm and lasts until midnight daily.

“… Sad to say motorbikers (unemployed) who have obviously removed the mufflers from bikes with the result that there is an unbearable assault on the ears of residents of Road Town and McNamara along Road Town to Sea Cow’s Bay drive, daily for this extended period of time,” Smith stated in the letter.

She further told authorities that she has written several letters on the issue in the past.

“I have been promised that a long term solution is in the making, but this matter has gotten only worse as bikers — many unlicensed, without helmets and other appropriate gear — continue to race up and down our streets without let or hindrance, pop a wheeling in the middle of traffic as I have said to you before until the early hours of the morning.”


It is wrong

Smith, who owns LGS & Associates which is located in the disturbed areas, said the situation is not right and rebuked the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force for allowing the disturbance to continue.

“[It] shows a complete abdication of responsibility by the police for law and order. I personally am forced to telephone every night at 11:30 pm asking for some assistance in ending the racket, but surely the police can at least bring an end to the noise nuisance that is created without having to be prompted to do so,” she argued.

Smith then pleaded for an end to the noise nuisance, which she said is also affecting the entire territory and its visitors.


Larger bikes now permitted

Her letter comes at a time when the Andrew Fahie administration announced that motorcycles with engine capacities that are more than 125 cubic centimetres (CC) will now be allowed into the territory.

The conditions that must be imposed to facilitate larger engine motorcycles into the territory include a revamp of the Department of Motor Vehicle’s old licensing process for motorcycles. The process will now be a three-prong licensing regime comprising compulsory basic training for every motorcycle rider, theoretical testing, and full rider testing.

Premier Fahie has also said his government has plans to turn drag racing into an official sport in the BVI. He said his government will begin its search for a designated area where the motorsport can be done freely.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×