More than 3,000 people descended on Royston in their modified cars at the weekend to attend a Paul Walker tribute rally.

Royston Crow: Three Eclipse replicas at the Paul Walker memorial rally organised by Royston Modified.Three Eclipse replicas at the Paul Walker memorial rally organised by Royston Modified. (Image: Archant)

The industrial estate car park at York Way had to be blocked off by police on Saturday night and traffic diverted to Tesco’s car park when hoards of people arrived for the meet – organised a year after the Fast and the Furious actor died when the car he was a passenger in crashed into a tree.

The event was arranged by car enthusiasts group Royston Modified, which met at 7pm and stayed in the town until 10pm.

After observing a minute’s silence, the cars then drove in convoy to Southend-on-Sea.

The event raised more than £1,000 for Reach Out Worldwide, a charity set up by Mr Walker to help with disaster relief.

A spokesman for Herts police said they had been getting calls ‘all along the way’ from the public complaining about the noise and people driving ‘erratically’. Police confirmed it was ‘difficult to keep an eye on all the vehicles’.

A man, who asked to remain anonymous, complained about the noise on the A505 Baldock bypass.

He said: “There were thousands of jumped up cars making a hell of a din going through the Weston Hills tunnel.

“It’s a joke at that time of night. During the day it’s not a problem but at night my baby’s trying to sleep.”

Darren Bull, event organiser and founder of Royston Modified, said the group alerted the police in advance of the meet and they were present throughout the event.

He said: “We had spoken to the police and made sure they we’re aware of the event.

“I cannot thank them enough for their support in ensuring the event ran smoothly.

“We had also hired in our own traffic management team who were on site to help along with our clubs own events team to aid people parking up and make sure everyone was safe.

“I myself find it truly inspiring to see the effect Paul’s passing had on the entire UK car community and how the event brought everyone together in one place to remember his legacy.

“I understand that some of the cars that attended did have noisy exhaust systems and may have been heard by local residents.

“I do apologise for any disruption caused, but this was a one off event and there was no racing or messing about as the cars were coming in at a slow crawl.

“With our charity events we’re trying to change the perception people have of us. Anyone’s welcome to come down – we have members of our club who are in their 80s and they love it.”