By 4×4 trapped on Meridian Road seized by police following public outcry
Just weeks after a car was washed away by the tide on Cleethorpes beach, a 4×4 vehicle has caused quite a stir amongst residents at the resort.
On Monday 6 June images were shared on social media showing the dirt-covered vehicle stuck deep in mud having been abandoned by its owners.
The incident was quickly brought to the attention of North East Lincolnshire Council and Humberside Police as the area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
According to witnesses, the same vehicle and drivers were spotted at Cleethorpes Boating lake driving recklessly, speeding away from the coastguard and beach safety team when asked to stop.
One resident said: “It’s an SSSI area and protected for a reason, especially this time of year. Plenty of other places to go off-roading! I also understand the driver was committing other offences prior to getting stuck!”
Another mentioned how the same vehicle has been involved in incidents at Cleethorpes Boating Lake the same day: “Very boring they were acting like idiots all over the path on the boating lake, not even slowing down to let people out the way, they were speeding away from the coastguard truck etc, karma that they got stuck.”
One angry local called for the car to be crushed for intruding on a protected site, stating: “This is an SSSI site, there are birds nesting, lots of other wildlife and lots of special wild Flora. They were being totally reckless and thoughtless by all accounts, racing around disturbing the environment and walkers.”
Officers have now confirmed that the vehicle has been seized following a length recovery mission to dislodge the large vehicle from the deep mud.
Humberside Police said: “Officers were alerted to a 4×4 vehicle that had become stuck on land off Meridian Road, Cleethorpes, at around 5:20pm on Monday 6 June.
“It had been reported that the vehicle had been driven in a protected area. We worked with our partners to recover the vehicle yesterday (Wednesday 8 June).
“On recovery, the vehicle was seized by police for being driven off-road on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The driver has also been reported for off-road driving.”
Community Beat Manager David Cave said: “Vehicles should only be driven off road in permitted locations and with the landowner’s permission. At this time of year, there are a lot of ground-nesting birds in the area, and we take the protection of our wildlife extremely seriously.
“We would like to thank members of the public for raising this issue with us and we will always act accordingly with calls of this nature.”
(Image: Patryk Kasprzyk)
