Fuming residents living near Silverstone’s Grand Prix track have blasted organisers for turning the world famous race event into a music festival, complaining about crowds, noise and parking chaos with some saying: ‘We have become prisoners in our own homes!’
Simon Page, who is dreading the four-day Formula 1 spectacle on his doorstep – which kicks off tonight – said: ‘It has got bigger and noisier and is driving many locals mad.
‘Half a dozen roads in the village are closed off to traffic meaning we are all banned from parking outside our own homes. It is ridiculous.’
The F1 model maker, who has lived in the tiny small Northamptonshire village of Little London near Towcester, for 27 years, said: ‘They now have bands playing over the whole weekend. It is meant to be a racing event but it is more like Glastonbury.
‘They’ve turned it into a rave and the music blaring out is louder than the cars on race day.’
The 61-year-old added: ‘They’ve always had some live music but it has never been so loud or extensive as it was last year, and this will be even worse.
Residents living near Silverstone’s racing track have complained that the event’s noise, cars and helicopters
Locals of Little London say they are ‘prisoners in their own homes’, complaining that the annual F1 event has been ‘turned into a rave’
Simon Page complained about ‘draconian’ parking measures introduced since last year preventing residents from parking on the road outside their homes
Residents living a stone’s throw away from the track, say the F1 Grand Prix now closer resembles the Glastonbury Festival with loud bands and music acts
‘You can’t sleep at night because it goes on till the early hours and you can’t go out in the day in your vehicle because the roads are sealed off or too crowded. It is utter chaos.
‘We have become prisoners in our own homes!’
Mr Page, echoing the sentiments of neighbours, said: ‘There used to be absolutely no problem with the race and the fans are wonderful. The problem is the management.
‘Last year they imposed draconian measures for parking which they have introduced again.
‘They issued parking tickets for anyone parking on the road outside their hones who is not privileged to have a drive.
‘They even gave my disabled neighbour a ticket for parking whilst displaying a blue badge.’
Mr Page, who lives with his childminder wife Jane less than a mile from the track, told MailOnline: ‘Last year the music reached 140 decibels, that’s incredibly loud and I measured it. The sound from the race cars was quieter 79-80 decibels.’
He also slammed organisers for employing heavy-handed traffic wardens and groaned: ‘All the residents are up in arms.’
Mr Page, who moved to the village nearly three decades ago to work for a factory near the track, said : Initially there was absolutely no problem but it’s got worse over the years with road closures, parking nightmare, noise from bands and helicopters.
‘The roads have become a rat run. Parking tickets are being given out left, right and centre absurd has caused a lot of bad feeling.
‘Locals who don’t have off street parking are being offered parking in a field but why should we put up wit that.
‘Luckily I have parking space at the front and back but many people in these old houses don’t and from Friday morning to Sunday night our road, Murswell Lane will be among those closed off.
Villager Paige Snooks, with her husband Kris and their one-year-old daughter Aria. The couple told MailOnline they ‘dread’ the event
Sharon Croft, co owner of the local Nisa store & Post Office says the annual event makes the small village ‘overwhelmingly busy’
Ms Croft’s business faces queues down the street while the racing is on as she is forced to limit customers in the shop for safety reasons
Mr Page, who will not be attending the racing but has been a visitor in the past, added: ‘Also the prices for spectators has shot to horrendously but motor fans from across the world are still coming here, and are not put off.
‘The problem is that the village has grown with a lot of new builds here now so the organisers have frown the Grand Prix event with volume and quantity. The music can be deafening.’
He added: ‘The music used to be Friday and Saturday and now they have added Thursday night with King’s of Leon playing. Next year they will probably add an extra night!’
This year’s British Grand Prix opening concert is set to be headlined by acts including Kings of Leon, Stormzy, Pete Tong and Rudimental.
Award-winning ctress Hannah Waddingham will perform the National Anthem on Sunday July 7.
Villager Paige Snooks admitted: ‘Last year it was horrendous living here, the noise, the parking, the crowds.’
The customer services advises said the only solution to beat the Silverstone Grand Prix was to avoid it by going away.
She is heading off early Friday for a wedged away to Great Yarmouth with her husband Kris , a vehicle technician, and their one-year-old daughter Aria.
Mrs Snooks said: ‘So many residents were given parking fines even the village postman!
‘We dread the event and chaos it causes so we disappear for the weekend, like other sensible people.’
Her husband added: ‘Many locals are moaning about it. We’ve lived herd for five years but we’re not D1 fans.’
Sharon Croft, co owner of the local Nisa store & Post Office in the heart of the small village, said: ‘The event draws the crowds from all over the counter and overseas. It’s usually such a quiet village but now it’s overwhelming busy!
‘The shop’s packed and we have queues firming down the street as we have to limit the number of customers for safety reasons.’
The store boss from Northampton says she and her family never get to the event because ‘it’s all hands on deck here.’
She added: ‘We watch it in TV. It’s madness here with all the people but it’s good for business.’
Farmer Darren McCullagh, 42, said that despite creating a ‘feast’ atmosphere in the village, Silverstone weekend ’causes a bit of a nightmare’
But Publican Mal Gray, who runs the White Horse said the racing is ‘good for trade’, adding that the only issue was dealing with people drinking all day
Farmer Darren McCullagh, 42, who has lived in the area all his life and use to working the race industry, admitted: ‘The race weekend causes a bit of a nightmare. The atmosphere is feast but it comes at a cost.’
He said that while many people were complaining about the loud music it didn’t personally bother he and his partner as ‘we’re both musicians and enjoy hearing it.’
He added: ‘The event is getting bigger every year but better too and villagers get free tickets for the first night but not the weekend.
‘We don’t go along, we just sit in the garden with a drink and listen to it.’
He told how many locals were annoyed last year because of the vast amount of parking tickets being handed out . He said: ‘Wow, it was crazy, everyone was getting ticketed.’
Pub landlord Mal Gray who runs the White Horse said: ‘I’m not a race fan but you get into it and it’s very good for trade. We’re ramped here, you get 700 drinkers in a day and it’s the only pub in the village. Some people start arriving on Tuesday.
‘There’s a great atmosphere and only a bit of trouble when people are drinking all day but nothing you can’t deal with.
‘I’ve been here for 16 months so it s my second F1 season. You hear some complaints from residents about the noise and disruption and parking restrictions but you have to sit back and enjoy it. You’re living or working in Silverstone, what do you expect.’
