Police helicopter chases driver of stolen Ford Fiesta after thieves steal car from home near Chorley

By Matthew Calderbank
Published 10th May 2022, 11:09 BST
Updated 10th May 2022, 15:24 BST
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A police helicopter pursued a wanted man as he fled across moorland near Chorley last night (Monday, May 9).

The police chopper was mobilised in the early hours after officers gave chase to a stolen car along the A675 between Belmont and Abbey Village.

The blue Fiesta was reported stolen from a home in Chorley Road, Adlington on Sunday (May 7) and was last seen later that night on CCTV heading towards Frederick's ice cream parlour in Bolton Road.

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Late last night, Tact Ops officers spotted the car on cloned plates and a chase ensued along Belmont Road, near Winter Hill.

In a desperate bid to escape, the driver went off road and abandoned the Fiesta before fleeing across moorland on foot.

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Officers called the National Police Air Service (NPAS) into action, with the helicopter crew catching sight of him as he fled across fields.

The chopper tracked the suspect with its night vision camera for 30 minutes, but the man was able to escape and the search was stood down at around 3.30am.

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The National Police Air Service was deployed to moorland between Chorley and Bolton after police chased a stolen car last night (Monday, May 9)The National Police Air Service was deployed to moorland between Chorley and Bolton after police chased a stolen car last night (Monday, May 9)
The National Police Air Service was deployed to moorland between Chorley and Bolton after police chased a stolen car last night (Monday, May 9)

A spokesman for NPAS said: “A police helicopter from NPAS Barton was deployed at 3.05am to assist Lancashire Police in their search for suspects in the Bolton area after a vehicle failed to stop for police patrols.

The car - one of a number of Fiesta’s targeted by car thieves in the Chorley/Bolton area in recent weeks - was recovered and will be analysed for forensics before it is reunited with its grateful owner in Adlington.