Shocking moment covidiot leads police on 151mph chase up the M1 before dumping BMW and escaping on foot – as chief says ‘extreme speeding’ offences doubled on deserted roads over Easter break
- Police chiefs are warning speeding is on the rise amid coronavirus lockdown
- One driver led police on a 151mph chase near London before fleeing on foot
- Some motorists were caught going at ‘extreme speeds’ over the Easter weekend
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
This is the shocking moment a driver led police officers on a 151mph car chase near the M1, with a Met chief warning that speeding offences have doubled under coronavirus lockdown.
Drivers were caught driving at ‘extreme speeds’ on otherwise-quiet roads over the Easter weekend, including the man who was clocked at 151mph on the M1 near London.
In the footage, police chase the driver for more than a minute, before he comes to a stop, gets out of his vehicle, which is believed to be a BMW, and flees on foot.
Supt Andy Cox, the Met’s head of road and transport policing, shared the video, and said: ‘Extreme speeds this weekend in London. This driver reached 151mph on the M1 before decamping car & evading police officer on foot. We will do upmost to identify & take action.
‘Anyhow no doubt will come to our attention again. Crossed fingers before he hurts somebody.’
It comes as police said the average speed on some 20mph roads had risen to 37mph over the weekend, with some drivers taking advantage of fewer vehicles on the road.
Traffic on some major roads fell by as much as 86 per cent over the weekend.
Supt Andy Cox said on Monday that some motorists were still travelling at ‘extreme speeds’ in London, including the driver clocked at 151mph, while another was spotted doing 97mph on the A10.
In Greater Manchester, police arrested a Mercedes driver for travelling at what appeared to be more than 100mph on a 40mph stretch of the A580 East Lancashire Road on Saturday.
Police chased a man who was clocked at 151mph on the M1 near London, before getting out of the car and fleeing on foot
The driver was ‘totally unaware of the police car behind him’, the police tweeted, adding that he was ‘off to court’ for speeding and breaching the coronavirus lockdown.
Supt Andy Cox said on Monday that some motorists were still travelling at ‘extreme speeds’ in London
A VW Golf was also caught speeding, at 106mph, on the M61 on Saturday, according to Greater Manchester police.
Car travel has fallen by as much as 73 per cent during the lockdown, with current levels the lowest since 1955.
However, police chiefs have warned people are becoming restless, leading to some going back into their cars.
The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, said last week that 40 per cent of cars in the area were exceeding the speed limit, compared to 20 per cent from before the lockdown.
Burnham said: ‘That will be worrying in any event, but it’s particularly worrying when more families are out and about taking walks, people are running, cycling, just more people on our pavements. The worry is with so many people out taking exercise on the pavements more crowded than normal. This poses risks to public safety.’
Meanwhile, Giles York, the chief constable of Sussex police, said at the weekend that a number of his officers had been ‘verbally abused, spat and coughed on in the line of duty’ and that there were still a few people who ‘think they are above or outside’ the lockdown regulations.
He said: ‘Please respect the work of my officers and my staff. They are taking risks, they are showing courage in continuing to deliver policing on the frontline.
‘Please follow the simple message: stay at home and save lives.’
In the West Midlands, police seized nine off-road bikes and arrested a 15-year-old boy and three men after they turned ‘deserted streets into racetracks’ over the bank holiday.
They said the group were ‘running amok on our quieter roads during the government restrictions’.