by Those living near a pub where a man died after plowing into it after being chased by police have spoken of their horror. A Dacia Sandero crashed into the White Lion pub on York Street in Heywood at around 3.15am in the early hours of this morning (Monday).
This sparked a fire as fire crews raced to the scene to extinguish the fire. Firefighters donned breathing apparatus as they battled the flames. Sadly the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s name and age have not yet been released.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) say they have established from initial inquiries that the Dacia failed to stop for a police patrol car with fluids on Bolton Road, about a mile and a half away.
READ MORE: The police watchdog was alerted after the driver died following a pursuit in the early hours
A “short pursuit” began on Rochdale Road East. “A few minutes later it was decided to stop the pursuit,” the force said in a statement. They said the car hit the building “shortly after stopping”.
A large police cordon remained in place today and people were asked to avoid the area. A fire service screen was erected around the outside of the building. However, the crumpled car could be seen nestled among rubble within the building. He was later brought out on a rescue truck.
Fire crews were seen working in and around the building, before specialist forensic crime scene investigation (CSI) police officers arrived late.
About a dozen police cars were also parked in or around the cordon. The road closure caused traffic congestion in the area and restricted access to some local businesses in or near it.
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A number of floral tributes have been left at the edge of the cordon. And locals said they were left shocked and saddened by the tragedy.
A man who lives nearby, who did not want to be named, said he was woken by a loud bang at around 3am. “I heard a huge, huge, loud bang,” he said.
“The thumb was so high it woke me up and made me jump. I came down to the front door and all I could see was a huge hole in the wall (of the pub). I couldn’t see the car inside. But you could say it was a car that did it.
“There was no fire at that time, but it just happened. I thought ‘I’m not going over so I went back inside.’ But then I heard siren after siren after siren. It must have been a police chase when they got here so quickly. It seemed like a matter of seconds.
“I didn’t see the fire but I could hear it, and I heard them burning. The guy who runs the pub is a really nice guy and he’s put a lot of money into it and to see where it is now.”
A friend of the pub manager said his friend managed to escape the building after the collision. “It’s scary,” he said. “My friend is the manager of the pub and he lives above it. Apparently, he goes out through a back window.
“It’s a good job it wasn’t earlier in the night when the (England) game was on because it will be packed. It’s a very busy and popular pub and you’d think it would be closed for a while.
“I don’t live far away and I’m a light sleeper so I thought I’d hear something, or at least the sirens, but I didn’t. I found out what happened this morning when the missus said our friend was but the pub was on fire.
“I came out and walked my dog this morning and saw the car was still inside. You could say it was very bad. I am surprised. But this is not the first time it has happened. A car crashed at that exact spot a few years ago. He knocked the wall down. It’s scary and very sad.”
Another local said: “I’m quite surprised to be honest with you. I can’t believe it. I was in there just last night having a pint. I didn’t hear a sound last night but I saw it all this morning and I’m just gobsmacked.”
Another man said: “The car is still inside the pub. It’s all the way in. I’m surprised but not surprised. We have had so many crashes down this road. It’s a dangerous loop.
“If it had happened earlier when the England game was on then there would have been a hammering. I saw a video on Facebook this morning and the flames were huge. I came out and I’ve never seen so many police officers in my entire life.”
A woman who runs a business behind the ropeway said she would not be opening. She says she won’t be opening today. “It’s very, very sad” she said.
GMP said they referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for the police watch team (IOPC) due to the previous contact. They are also urging anyone who can help their investigation to get in touch.
They added: “Officers from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are appealing for witnesses to the collision or anyone with footage of the incident to come forward.
Anyone with any information, CCTV or dash cam footage is asked to contact police on 0161 856 4741 quoting reference number 299 of 01/07/24.”
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “”Shortly after 3.15am this morning (Monday, July 1), four fire engines from Rochdale, Heywood and Bury fire stations attended a building fire on St. York, Heywood. Crews arrived quickly and used four hose reel jets and four breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire
