Brazen motorists have been flouting a road closure in Stafford to drive through a heavily-flooded street, endangering pedestrians by driving on pavements and sending water washing into people’s properties.
One man has been arrested and charged after allegedly ignoring road signs and trying to drive his Suzuki Vitara through deep water in Silkmore Lane.
The 49-year-old, from Stafford, will appear before magistrates facing charges of failing to stop and resisting arrest.
One resident said that, in a separate incident, a disabled woman on a scooter was drenched three times in quick succession by motorists driving along Silkmore Lane and sending waves of water on to the pavements.
Flooding started in Stafford yesterday morning and, as the water levels rose, a stretch of Silkmore Lane was closed near the junction with Meadow Way.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car, in Silkmore Lane, which closed after the floods four weeks ago, was again underwater yesterday.
Staffordshire Police spokeswoman Helen Jarvie said Silkmore Lane was so badly flooded that it was closed with signs and barriers.
She said: “It appears that drivers have been using the pavement to get through the road closure. They have been driving with two wheels on the pavement. Our concern is that such actions are obviously a real danger to pedestrians.
“We have also had reports of people driving through the flood water and, as they are going through, it has pushed water into personal property such as people’s garages.”
She said that, at about 12.15pm yesterday, an officer stopped a man who was allegedly ignoring the road closure signs and trying to get along Silkmore Lane.
He had since been charged with failing to stop and resisting arrest, she said. “We are trying to get the message out to drivers that they must stick to the rules. Road closures are there for a reason,” she added.
10 Comments
These people will always do things for themselves. Selfish pigs probably all their lives!
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Silkmore Lane as always flooded,maybe hes just like all other motorists sick to death of the lack of movement in reopening the Newport road.
He has a jeep,what damage was he doing…if you drive the right sort of vehicle..then use the road correctly!.If you dont have a 4×4 then use your brain and keep your car out of the flood water!
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Another example of the selfishness and stupidity of the Great British public. Hope the idiot gets hit where it hurts - in the pocket.
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theres always one
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another typical 4X4 driver these sould be restricted to people who need them fo a living not idiots who want to collect the children from school
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These people have driving licences? They should lose them. Obviously not fit to drive.
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Typical motorists, have car will go where they want! No regard for others only themselves. Give them a £1000 fine for this stupidity and 3 points on their licence then we will see clever they feel?
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They should make him do community service…. give him a pair of wellies so he can help clean the mess up in the propertys he made worse off by driving like a dipp !!
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Why is it ‘a typical 4×4 driver’? How many 4×4 drivers in are there in the Stafford area are there? Three or four thousand, perhaps and only one that’s been arrested. Doesn’t that make that particular driver the exception, rather then ‘typical’?
I’m sick of these parrot-like responses to people that just happen to drive vehicles that use four wheels to drive their vehicle, rather than two.
No, I don’t have a 4-wheel drive vehicle - well, not of the much-maligned ‘jeep-type’ variety, anyway. But I think I’ll get one soon for their practicality and versatility.
Surely it’s just envy that drives these comments along, because it isn’t based on anything logical.
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SEND SOME OF YOUR WATER DOWN HERE TO AUSTRALIA.. WE HAVEN`T SEEN GOOD RAIN FOR 3 MONTHS HERE, OH AND WE ALL DRIVE 4X4`S
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