A HIGH speed car chase on the A1 has shocked police and road safety campaigners after a driver swerved through traffic at up to 140mph with an unrestrained toddler sitting in the back seat.

Police made the alarming discovery after the dramatic pursuit that lasted more than 50 miles – including through a 50mph zone in motorway road works – on the A1 between Scotch Corner and Boston Spa on Tuesday. (May 17)

The 31-year-old man driving the car was finally stopped with the help of a police helicopter and multiple pursuit vehicles which blocked his way as he attempted to flee the motorway at the Boston Spa exit.

It was only then officers found the little girl, who was not wearing a seatbelt, in the back of the car, along with a 22-year-old woman. 

All are from Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Sergeant Paul Cording, with North Yorkshire Police’s road policing group, said his officers first began following the grey Audi A4 at 4.25pm when it failed to stop for them on the northbound carriageway, near Catterick.

He said: “They were concerned about the manner of driving and tried to get the driver to pull over but he kept driving – he came out of the roadworks then shot up to Scotch Corner and came back down the other side.

“He was driving at very high speed – swerving through traffic, pushing between other motorists in the third lane and central reservation, and driving on the hard shoulder.

“It was only when we stopped them we saw the young girl in the car – we tend to expect the unexpected, but that shocked many of us.

“Driving at such a speed, swerving between lanes and onto the hard shoulder put her at such risk it is unbelievable.”

Police found a large amount of cannabis in the car, and searches at a property in Rotherham uncovered more drugs. The three-year-old girl has been placed in the care of child protection services.

Thankfully, no one was injured in the pursuit. The woman had last night been released from police bail, while the man remained in custody.

North Yorkshire's Acting Chief Constable Tim Madgwick, speaking as chair of the 95 Alive road safety partnership, said: “Driving at excessive speeds and in an unpredictable manner is clearly dangerous both for those in the vehicle – especially so for a young child in the car – but also for anyone else driving on the A1 anywhere within the 40-plus miles involved in this pursuit.

“It is especially dangerous for those working within the road works, who would not be expecting the driver to do what they were doing.”

A spokesperson for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “The driver has shown a frightening disregard for the safety of others, and it is a miracle that no-one was injured or killed.

“We need to get tough with people who drive in such a reckless manner, by giving judges the power to hand out sentences that reflect the severity of these crimes and provide a real deterrent to others."