SIXTY people paid fixed penalties for ignoring a dispersal order at Trafford Retail Park over the summer.

GMP Trafford issued the dispersal order for the retail park off the M60 and its surroundings in Urmston in response to reports of a 'large-scale car meet' on September 12.

It allowed police officers and PCSOs to ask people to leave the area if causing or likely to cause anti-social behaviour, and to arrest people who refused to leave the area.

This week, in a post on social media, GMP Trafford revealed some 60 people ignored the dispersal order.

They were punished with fixed penalties, all of which have now been paid.

In a statement, Police Constable Spinks said: "This dispersal order was put in place for a reason, after a teenager lost her life due to dangerous driving at a car meet in Trafford Park in May 2018.

"We want to prevent this kind of tragedy ever happening again, and we will continue to implement and enforce dispersal orders to do so, and fine anyone who thinks it is a good idea to ignore it."

The teenager referred to by PC Spinks is Sophie Smith, who died around three and a half years ago after a driver lost control of his car and careered into a crowd of onlookers on Europa Way.

The driver, 25-year-old Scott Watkins of Salford, was imprisoned for causing death by dangerous driving.