A police helicopter and six force cars went in hot pursuit of a stolen vehicle travelling at dangerously high speeds along the A127.
The car was stolen from a car park in Southend last night, before it drove about 45 miles along the A127 to Romford where the driver abandoned it.
The drama started at 4.20pm when the grey BMW X5 was taken from the car park of a bathroom showroom in London Road. The car was soon spotted weaving in and out of rush-hour traffic on the A127 at 5pm.
With one man at the wheel, the vehicle sped up to 90mph with police cars on its tail.
There were also other police cars anticipating where the vehicle would go next and trying to block off its access routes. Police were deployed from Laindon and Rayleigh traffic units, as well as Brentwood police.
The stolen car managed to dodge other traffic on the busy road and travelled through Rayleigh, Basildon, Billericay and Brentwood before arriving in Collier Row, Romford, where the driver got out and ran off.
The car was abandoned at an industrial estate in Langley Close, Collier Row.
The Metropolitan Police helicopter was then used in an attempt to trace the man, but to no avail. The chase badly affected traffic on the A127.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "It was a busy time of night but no one was injured."
Published Wednesday October 30, 2002
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article