Suspected shoplifter swept into culvert as he tried to escape police
12:00pm Saturday 29th September 2012 in News
A SUSPECTED shoplifter jumped into a river and was swept 300 metres along an underground culvert in a desperate bit to evade capture by the police.
The 36-year-old man, believed to have stolen a bottle of vodka, was pulled to safety by specialist firefighters and was lucky to be alive, according to a local councillor.
Police and firefighters were called to the River Darwen close to Hardman Way, Darwen, after the man was chased out of Sainsbury’s by security staff at 10am.
Inspector Bob Eaton said: “The suspected shoplifter climbed into the river outside Sainsbury’s and ran into the culvert, where there was several feet of water. He went a considerable distance.
“In a joint operation, police officers and firefighters contained the area and the man was arrested after coming out of the other end.”
A huge network of large underground culverts, made of stone and big enough to walk through if dry, exists beneath Blackburn and Darwen.
A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Two men wearing full kit were sent into the river after being called by police, but the man managed to climb out of the other end.”
Police said the man was taken for precautionary checks at Royal Blackburn Hospital because of a low body temperature. A bottle of vodka with a tag was recovered from him.
Sudell councillor Roy Davies said: “It is a very dangerous culvert. He is lucky to be alive, although I don’t have any sympathy for him.
“I was looking at it the other day and there is only a bit of a wall that isn’t very high and then a wooden fence.
“If a child went in there they would never come out and it worries me.
“People don’t realise how strong the current is there when the rain has been coming.
“The river was so swollen the other day it was only a couple of feet from the top of the culvert.”
Marsh House town councillor Simon Huggill said: “This is complete and utter madness. This was a very dangerous thing to do, and for the price of whatever was stolen, it’s not worth risking your life for.
“I think that every single shoplifter should be prosecuted because they’re not just stealing from the shop, but from the ordinary people who have to pay price rises to cover losses.”
Comments(21)
Deadwoodchamps
says...
12:23pm Sat 29 Sep 12
sen c ble
says...
12:26pm Sat 29 Sep 12
N4you! wrote:Doubt it very much mate.
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
HarryBosch
says...
12:47pm Sat 29 Sep 12
Sounds like a very dangerous hazard for children especially with this recent bad weather. Just a pity it's taken a criminal to highlight it but now that it has been highlighted is something going to be done.
Rimbus
says...
12:50pm Sat 29 Sep 12
N4you! wrote:He's an alcoholic, not an otter!
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
commonsenseplease
says...
1:09pm Sat 29 Sep 12
Rimbus wrote:LOL
N4you! wrote:He's an alcoholic, not an otter!
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
No doubt he will go onto re offend.
peely
says...
1:16pm Sat 29 Sep 12
Rimbus
says...
1:24pm Sat 29 Sep 12
peely wrote:It'll be in the police 'evidence room' and will probably get cracked open at the CID Xmas party!
Did he get to keep the bottle of vodka?
chris283
says...
2:11pm Sat 29 Sep 12
milano
says...
2:32pm Sat 29 Sep 12
vanmanstan
says...
2:38pm Sat 29 Sep 12
mavrick
says...
2:42pm Sat 29 Sep 12
mick1967
says...
2:49pm Sat 29 Sep 12
CapitaBackHander
says...
4:21pm Sat 29 Sep 12
What an idiot - he had the bottle still on him when he was retrieved - DUH!
Rimbus
says...
7:56pm Sat 29 Sep 12
mick1967 wrote:??????
ROY DAVIES you are a judgeMENTAL idiot i'm sure it says SUSPECTED shoplifter yes it is dangerous and needs sorting out but the only person guilty here is you,for all you know he might be half man half badger and have a really nice house there
I suggest you take more water with it!
ossym
says...
8:56pm Sat 29 Sep 12
sen c ble wrote:Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ?
N4you! wrote:Doubt it very much mate.
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak.
The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it!
Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
CapitaBackHander
says...
9:12pm Sat 29 Sep 12
ossym wrote:They don't make enough cotton wool, do they?
sen c ble wrote:Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ?
N4you! wrote:Doubt it very much mate.
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak.
The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it!
Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
vanmanstan
says...
9:17pm Sat 29 Sep 12
ossym wrote:off you go then
sen c ble wrote:Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.N4you! wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he livesDoubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
Rimbus
says...
10:21pm Sat 29 Sep 12
ossym wrote:No but I do remember a Paul Parkinson who went to Cedar Street Primary School from 1972 - 1979. He had his house key tied on a string round his neck and a little white handkerchief that had a little bee embroidered in one corner and his mum had sewn his initials into it so it didn't get lost. He got in big trouble once for starting a competition in the boys toilets to see who could wee the highest up the wall and the caretaker complained about the mess in the toilets to the headmistress who went ballistic. He regularly brought a letter in to say that he couldn't do PE because he had astma but it was really because he had a third nipple (like Scaramanga in James Bond) and didn't like getting teased about it.
sen c ble wrote:Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ?
N4you! wrote:Doubt it very much mate.
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak.
The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it!
Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
Is it the same person?
ossym
says...
7:35pm Sun 30 Sep 12
vanmanstan wrote:Very funny, ignorance is bliss.
ossym wrote:off you go then
sen c ble wrote:Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.N4you! wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he livesDoubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
I certainly wont be going off down there but there are plenty who might, including schoolchildren on way home from school.
Maybe you think one person actually losing thier life isnt important enough to mention even though it could easily happen again.
Anyway why let trivial things like saving lives get in the way of a witty one liner?
Stick to what you know best Stan - road safety maybe?
Darwen Malc
says...
10:53pm Sun 30 Sep 12
Look, if parents (or parent - seeing as we are in Darwen) can't teach their kids not to go near water who cares? I don't, for one!!
As a kid, no lodges, railways, quarries etc were fenced off. I was simply told by my parents not to go anywhere near there, and if I did, then God help me, cos I would have got a good hiding! Nowadays, lily livered PC, or couldn't care less, parents expect everyone else to take responsibility!
NO, the responsibility lies with the parents of those kids, so, unless it's a tragic accident, the death of any kids in such situations lies on the parents shoulders. End of.
N4you! says...
12:17pm Sat 29 Sep 12