Cops 10-car chase drama

The high-speed chase began in Harcourt Road, Crookesmoor, when a stolen red Mercedes C180 Esprit failed to stop for officers.

The car raced down Crookes Road, through Broomhill and down Brocco Bank before turning onto Endcliffe Vale Road, doing a loop around Ranmoor and returning back to Broomhill.

It then turned onto the A57 Manchester Road and sped through Crosspool, the Rivelin Valley and along the Snake Pass through Derbyshire to Glossop town centre.

It was finally halted when Derbyshire officers used a 'stinger' device in High Street West, Glossop, to puncture the tyres.

The chase involved South Yorkshire Police traffic officers, district patrol cars and Derbyshire officers. Officers from Greater Manchester Police were also dispatched to assist. Today a car passenger travelling back towards Sheffield along the A57, who saw the chase at Ladybower, said: "I've never seen anything like it in my life. It was like something out of Smokey and the Bandits.

"I counted 14 police cars including a police dog van. Who were they chasing - Osama Bin Laden?

"You call for a policeman and you're lucky if you see one within two days and yet 14 car-loads of them are chasing one car. How can they justify having so many on one job - this is what needs explaining - surely it's a complete waste of manpower."

A Broomhill resident who heard the commotion late on Tuesday night said: "I was just going to bed when I heard a series of cars screeching up the road.

"Then, as I had just settled down in bed and was trying to get off to sleep, I heard the police helicopter droning overhead.

"I obviously thought it was some kind of major incident."

South Yorkshire Police said traffic officers in four high powered traffic vehicles were sent to assist district patrol officers because they were trained to use stinger devices and carry out 'tactical pursuit and containment manoeuvres' - where the car is surrounded.

Supt Peter Norman denied 14 vehicles had been used.

He said: "It certainly wasn't that figure. At one particular time it was 10 vehicles and the majority were used to block off the vehicle's escape routes as we had to ensure the car reached the stinger and didn't make a U-turn.

"There have been a number of deaths where people have been pursued by police and we have national guidelines that we have to follow in pursuit situations. If anyone is injured in a pursuit there is an investigation and we have to be able to justify every single resource that we use.

"Our primary concern in all pursuits is the safety of the public and the safety of the person inside the car, who could be anything from 16 to 60."

Two men, one aged 39 and the other 36, were arrested.

The 36-year-old has since been released, while the 39-year-old appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court yesterday charged with driving whilst disqualified, dangerous driving, failing to provide a breath specimen for analysis and driving with no insurance.