Epic police chase with Bassetlaw teen to be showcased as Police Interceptors returns to television screens

The action-packed first episode of the new series sees a teenage driver ram into police cars in a desperate bid to evade capture, testing the highly-skilled cops’ driving skills to the limits.

Officers had been made aware of a cloned vehicle in the Blyth village area which was spotted and followed. The driver failed to stop and a high-speed pursuit ensued which saw him drive on the wrong side of the road and through red traffic lights at speed.

When members of Nottinghamshire Police’s road crime team tried to bring the Toyota Avensis to a stop, the driver rammed two police cars numerous times.

No injuries were caused but the two police cars sustained major damage.

The driver tried to carry on his journey despite losing two tyres after officers used a stinger to try and bring the car to a stop on the night of September 15, 2021.

Officers made tactical contact with the car to end the pursuit, forcing it onto a grass verge, before the driver was arrested.

Bill Nicholson, then aged 18, of Chichester Walk, Carlton-in-Lindrick, went on to plead guilty to charges of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He was given a nine-month sentence to be served in a young offender institute, suspended for 18 months, made subject of a three-month electronically-tagged curfew, and was banned from driving for 12 months, plus an extension period of three months, until an extended test had been passed.

Police Constable Dan Butler said: “Nicholson drove at speeds of over 75mph and showed blatant disregard for the safety of other road users throughout the pursuit and any members of the public who may have been nearby.

“The stinger was successful but seemed to have little effect on his manner of driving. I could see the near side tyres disintegrating but the vehicle continued to fail to stop, weaving on both sides of the carriageway.

“The lives of members of the public were risked in his attempt to avoid arrest. If the car hadn’t been stung this incident could easily have resulted in someone being killed.”

As well as this incident, tonight’s brand new episode features members of the force’s dedicated knife crime team arresting a driver on suspicion of drug dealing, with further enquiries leading them to seize a hefty haul of suspected Class A drugs worth thousands of pounds.

And when Police Constable Phil Broughton investigates a report of a boy shot in the face with a BB gun in Sutton-In-Ashfield, it doesn’t take him long to find a suspect and safely retrieve the weapon after questioning a group of youngsters.

Watch all this and more by tuning in on Channel 5 at 8pm.