Volunteer hit by car during Peterborough's Great Eastern Run believes driver '˜could have killed somebody'

The volunteer, who wished to remain anonymous, was clipped by the wing mirror of a black Land Rover attempting to enter Broadway from Huntly Grove at around 10.30am yesterday (Sunday, October 14).

The male volunteer said the driver and passenger were irate after being told the road was blocked for the half marathon. He claimed they then swore at him, mounted the kerb in their car and knocked him out the way, before entering the road and heading off in the direction some of the participants in the fun run were coming from.

Fortunately, most of the runners had just gone by.

The volunteer said: “There were three or four occasions people came and were quite cross the road was closed and said they did not have prior warning.

“Coming towards the end of the fun run a black Land Rover pulled up alongside me, and I said ‘you can’t come through until two o’clock’.

“The person could not get out at either end, and he was like ‘I’m not having this’.

“I said ‘I’m sorry, the road is shut, there’s nothing I can do about it’. He swore and said ‘you’re not getting in my way’.

“He came onto the path and clipped me with a wing mirror - which knocked me to the side - and drove down Broadway with runners coming.

“I phoned the police and spectators on the other side of the road got the registration plate.

“Luckily it was me and not one of the kids who were volunteering alongside me. I was not injured at all, but it could have been a lot worse.

“He sped out onto the road, and if it had been two minutes before he would have killed somebody. At the time, as he went onto the road there were people in the distance coming. He went past them.

“I know it was not an isolated incident. There was a van which went on the road.

“The run is fantastic, but you’re relying on kids policing areas which are notoriously rough.

“It’s a lovely event but a few people ruin it for everyone else.”

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: “Regarding motorists ignoring road closures, we did get reports, including one in Broadway at 10.40am involving a black Land Rover.

“Police resources were sent to some locations to provide support for the race marshals. This is something that will be taken on board in planning for future events.”

Police tweeted during the day: “We are receiving calls/complaints re vehicles driving on the closed roads amongst runners therefore Police are having to deploy.”

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