Police force refers itself to complaints watchdog over incident where car smashed into home near Oswestry

The police force that was involved in a “short pursuit” that resulted in a car careering into a home in a quiet Shropshire village has referred itself to a complaints watchdog over the incident.

North Wales Police confirmed it has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after its officers were involved in a pursuit of a black Seat Leon that smashed into a property in Chirk Bank on Saturday (October 31).

The driver of the Seat car had failed to stop for police before the chase began, and the vehicle then hurtled through a road closure before smashing into the living room of a house on the village’s Canal View.

The car remained inside the house, upside down, the following morning.

A spokesperson for the police said: “Following this incident, North Wales Police has made a voluntary referral to the IOPC for its consideration.”

The driver of the Seat, a man, was taken to hospital following the crash after sustaining “potentially serious injuries,” West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said.

On Monday (November 2), North Wales Police revealed that they had been involved in the incident.

A spokesperson for the force said: “At 9.54pm on Saturday, October 31, a vehicle collided into a property on Canal View, Chirk Bank, Wrexham.

“The driver had been in [a] short pursuit with a police vehicle after failing to stop for officers.

“Following the pursuit, the driver entered a road closure and collided with a bridge, before hitting the front of a residential property.

“The driver was arrested before being taken to hospital where they continue to receive treatment for an injury.

“No injuries were reported from inside the property.

“Enquiries into the collision are ongoing.”

Alongside the police, paramedics and firefighters also attended the scene on Canal View, with Ellesmere Fire Station sharing images of the car’s damage to the house on social media shortly after the crash.

Following the incident, neighbours of the Canal View property reported seeing chaotic scenes in the immediate aftermath of the collision, with the car understood to have ploughed through metal fencing blocking a bridge over the Shropshire Union Canal currently undergoing repair work.

One neighbour told how the car then hit debris on the bridge before careering onwards, down the bank for about 20 metres and straight through the front room of the house - the village’s former post office and shop which closed in 2000.

Neighbour Ella St John said the aftermath of the crash looked like a “warzone”.