A case of splash and run! Police seek driver who soaked mum

IT’S hardly the crime of the century, but police are seeking a driver who splashed a mother and her two young children by driving through a 20ft puddle.

The unnamed woman was pushing one child in a pram while the other walked alongside when the car soaked them.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident at noon on January 4 in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. A spokesman said: ‘The puddle could easily be seen. Unbelievably, a motorist drove through, causing water to soak the three.’

But the Cambridgeshire force, which is facing big budget cuts, was attacked on social media last night, with critics saying it should focus on more serious crimes. Stef Barnes, from Cambridge, said: ‘Have the police got nothing better to do?’

Nina Freer added: ‘Murder? GBH? Burglary? Robbery? Rape? Oh no we haven’t got time for that, no we’ll go after someone who drove threw (sic) a puddle!’

Lisa Hawksford, 46, whose house is opposite the puddle, said: ‘A 1 -year-old lad got forced out of his home by burglars last week. Police should be focusing on burglaries, theft and assault.’

The Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it illegal to drive ‘without reasonable consideration for other persons’, including ‘driving through a puddle causing pedestrians to be splashed’. Anyone convicted can be fined up to £5,000.