Police car ploughs through Ryde Pier railings during assault inquiry, two rescued
A Hampshire Police car crashed through the railings of Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight while officers were responding to an indecent assault inquiry. Two trapped officers were rescued by firefighters; a 29-year-old man has been arrested.
Police car removed from Ryde Pier after crashing through railings
A Hampshire Police car ploughed through the railings of Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight shortly before 10:10 BST, bbc.co.uk reports, becoming wedged in a gap above the water below.
The car collided with another vehicle while officers were responding to an urgent incident. No injuries were sustained, though the fire service confirmed that two people trapped inside the car were rescued by firefighters.
A small digger, accompanied by police and firefighters, was used to lift the vehicle clear of its position at around 15:00. Ferry operator Wightlink said the car was safely removed and the pier subsequently reopened, with its FastCat service between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier Head resuming from 16:15 — approximately six hours after services were first suspended.
Wightlink operations director Gavin Marshall said staff had been "very concerned for the welfare of the officers inside." He credited the pier's construction for preventing a worse outcome. "It's due to that good Victorian engineering because the railings themselves are very solid," he said. Marshall also confirmed that freshwater, sewage and power supplies running along the side of the pier — directly beneath where the car had been hanging — sustained no damage.
Hampshire Police said the officers had been carrying out urgent inquiries in connection with an indecent assault in Wallace Court, Newport, at the time of the crash. A 29-year-old man from Ryde has since been arrested in relation to that investigation.
Ryde Pier carries the Island Line Train between Ryde Pier Head station and Ryde Esplanade, as well as a pedestrian walkway and a vehicle lane.
Source: The Sun