Police narrowly escape burning patrol car after crash while responding to emergency in Merseyside

The two officers were taken to hospital after jumping from the car moments before it burst into flames. Credit: Liverpool Echo

Police officers were able to narrowly escape their patrol car just moments before it burst into flames.

The two officers were travelling to an emergency incident in Birkenhead, when a VW Passat, travelling in the opposite direction at speed, collided with it.

The driver ran from the scene following the crash, and the officers were able to jump out of their car just moments before it burst into flames.

Merseyside Police say the patrol car was travelling with its blue lights and siren before the crash, which happened at the junction of the Halfway House pub on Woodchurch Road in Prenton, at around 8.55pm on Friday 8 September.

The car was extinguished and removed from the scene. Credit: Liverpool Echo

The driver of the Passat was found a short while later and he and the police officers were taken to hospital suffering from back and neck injuries.

The driver was discharged from hospital and arrested for failing to stop at the scene of a road traffic collision and failure to provide a breath test. He was taken to a police station to be interviewed.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service attended and were able to safely extinguish the car fire.

A spokesperson from Merseyside Police said: "An investigation into the collision is ongoing and we are appealing for anyone who saw the collision, or who has dashcam footage of the collision, to come forward.

"Anyone with information can contact us on Twitter @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ quoting reference 1200 of 8 September."

The wreckage of the police car and VW Passat were removed from the scene on recovery trucks as a Wirral Council worker cleared debris from the road.

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