TRAFFIC in Farnham was brought to a standstill on Wednesday when a police vehicle crashed into the side of a car at the junction of The Hart and West Street. The collision, which took place just before noon, saw a Casualty Reduction Unit vehicle plough into the side of a red Saab that had pulled out into its path. The police vehicle had been pursuing a motorcyclist, who had been seen to clip a stationary car's wing mirror and then ride off. The incident also involved a Silver Audi, which was stationary at the time but had received damage to its side as a result of the crash. The driver of the Audi said: "I was only coming through town to avoid the traffic on the A31, which is so clogged up today due to road works. This was supposed to be a short-cut." The driver of the Saab said that he hadn't seen or heard the police vehicle before pulling out. "He was driving so fast that I didn't notice him until it was too late," he said. The area of West Street around the junction with The Hart was closed after the incident while the vehicles were removed from the scene. Pc Dave Thomas, the driver of the unit, told The Herald that the car had pulled out in front of him and there was nothing he could have done. "I came through town and witnessed a motorcycle clip a car's wing mirror and then just carry on going," he explained. "I decided to catch up with the rider and put my lights and sirens on and pulled out. I soon lost him in the traffic and was about to give up when I got to the junction and the car pulled out in front of me and that was that. "The road works on the A31 have resulted in more traffic than usual in Farnham as people have been coming through the town to avoid them. It's lucky that nobody has been hurt."
