MANAMA: Fourteen men have been arrested for alleged involvement in high-speed street races at a Bahrain industrial area.

The Bahrainis are accused of illegal racing, reckless driving, endangering other people's lives, speeding and covering their licence plate numbers, Traffic Prosecutor Hussain Mohammed Al Buali said yesterday.

They were remanded in police custody for a week yesterday after being arrested in connection with an organised street race last Thursday in the Sitra Industrial Zone. Police seized 144 cars, boasting a total of 272 serious violations, during a swoop on the illegal race meeting.

However, the majority of drivers are said to have left their cars behind and fled on foot - or in the vehicles of spectators.

Twenty-nine of the cars were reported for reckless driving, while 26 have been booked for racing and speeding. The police also reported 23 tyre-noise violations, 12 cars with no plates and 11 cars with obscured plates.