AN ALLEGED ‘erratic driver’ led police on an extensive chase that only came to an end after they collided with other vehicles - though residents believe an incident like this was inevitable.
On Wednesday afternoon, at 4.17pm, officers responded to reports of suspicious circumstances on Brierley Road, heading towards the Red Rum pub in Grimethorpe, where a white Vauxhall Corsa was said to have been driven erratically.
The vehicle failed to stop for police, who pursued the driver down Barnsley Road and into the centre of Cudworth.
Things ended dramatically when the diver crashed into other vehicles near the junction with Bloemfontein Street.
Officers rushed to the scene, detaining a 17-year-old boy and 26-year-old old man as they left the Corsa.
There are no reports of injuries, other than an officer who was attacked during the arrest and suffered minor injuries.
The 26-year-old was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, failure to stop and assault on an emergency worker. He remains in police custody at this time.
The 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage, and has been released on bail.
Traffic was brought to a standstill as emergency services responded to the situation, with Stagecoach having to re-route services 27, 28, 28c and 32 that travel through the town.
Peter and Hazel Haigh, who live on Barnsley Road, near where it took place, say that it’s not the first time something like this has occurred on the street, which is becoming a spot where racers ‘congregate en masse’.
Peter told the Chronicle: “There were three police cars outside so you can imagine the lights.
“We saw these blue lights flashing through and thought ‘what the devil’s going off here?’.
“I’ve never seen that many police out there - there was the helicopter going about and everything.
“I’ve lived on the main road all my life and it’s known that at night there’s a problem, you can hear them speeding.
“They do a circuit from here and right through the bypass - it’s unbelievable, councillors say they’re monitoring it, this that and the other.
“We can have speed cameras up at the top end of Cudworth on Pontefract Road, we can have them at Monk Bretton, but not here.
“You go stand at the Star Hotel and look down this road, it’s straight all the way down so people go at speed.
“Someone will get killed before anything changes.”
