In the Media

Stinger stops car driving wrong way down the M25

PUBLISHED June 2, 2012
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Surrey police said the black Vauxhall Astra joined the M25 after failing to stop for officers on the A22 in Godstone, Surrey, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

It went along a slip road and on to the M25 at junction six, travelling along the hard shoulder in the opposite direction to traffic.

As the car headed east, police followed it on the correct side of the road. After a pursuit of around 14 miles, the car was brought to a halt on the M26 in Kent by officers using a stinger - a device which punctures a car's tyres, forcing it to stop.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: "It continued travelling in the opposite direction to traffic on the hard shoulder while police units followed from the other side.

"The vehicle was subject to a stinger activation and was eventually brought to a halt on the M26 in Kent where the occupants decamped."

The two men, in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a class B drug with intent to supply.

One of the men was taken to a nearby hospital with a shoulder wound. The other is in police custody. A police car suffered minor damage but no officers were injured.

Police are appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the Vauxhall driving on the either the A22 or M25 to come forward. The pursuit started at around 4.40am on June 2.

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