A van driver who sparked a dramatic cross-border police chase into North Wales is still at large.
The pursuit started around 5.15pm on Sunday after a white Fiat Doblo being monitored by officers on Trinity Street in Chester, sped off and failed to stop throughout the busy city centre.
Police say they had been keeping an eye on the vehicle after it had been reported to them by a parking officer who had concerns about its roadworthiness.
Patrol cars from Cheshire police followed the van out of the city and across the England-Wales border towards Garden City in Flintshire.
One motorist claims to have seen a white van speeding past Chester Racecourse towards Sealand Road around the time of the chase.
He said it was travelling around 50mph and narrowly avoided a collision with another vehicle.
A Cheshire police spokesman said the van driver stopped on the A494 close to the River Dee bridge, before fleeing the vehicle and running off in the direction of Claremont Avenue.
Witness reports say that the vehicle was ‘abandoned’ on the A494 sliproad close to the Garden City junction, with several motorists claiming to have seen it facing towards oncoming traffic.
Onlookers then watched as North Wales Police joined Cheshire officers in searching the area around Claremont Avenue and Fox’s Drive but the offender could not be traced.
A police helicopter was also involved in the search.
A spokesman for Cheshire police said: “Cheshire police are appealing for witnesses to the incident. Anyone who may know the identity of the driver is urged to call 101, quoting incident 648 of 6 July 2014.
“Alternatively you can leave information anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”
