Southport Road shut as Ford Mondeo hits Bootle police van 2026

Key Points

• A Ford Mondeo driver is wanted after the car crashed into a parked police van in Bootle and then fled the scene on Thursday, 3 September 2026.
• According to Merseyside Police, the accident took place on Southport Road near Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue around 5.20pm.
• The Mondeo is said to have crashed into the police van, then driven away and crashed into a Mercedes that crashed into a Renault Trafic van, forming a pileup of three cars.
• While the Mondeo driver left the scene, the occupants of the Mercedes and the Renault Trafic van stayed and emerged unharmed, as stated by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.
• Traffic monitor INRIX reported that Southport Road was closed between Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue following the accident but reopened at 6.40pm.
• Fire crews were called at 5.34pm where they isolated a car battery and absorbed the site with absorbent material before handing over the scene to police officers at 5.55pm.
• Merseyside Police announced on Friday that inquiries are still underway to find the Mondeo driver.

Bootle (Liverpool standard) September 04, 2026 — A Ford Mondeo driver is being sought by Merseyside Police after the car crashed into a parked police van in Bootle and then fled the scene, triggering a multi-vehicle collision on Southport Road. Emergency services attended the pile-up on Thursday evening, with the road closed for just over an hour while crews made the area safe and police managed traffic. No injuries were reported among those who remained at the scene, but the driver of the Mondeo departed before fire crews arrived and is now the subject of ongoing enquiries.

According to a statement from a Merseyside Police spokesperson on Friday, at around 5.20pm a Ford Mondeo reportedly collided with a parked police van and was then driven off, where it collided with a second vehicle, a Mercedes, which in turn collided with a Renault Trafic van. The sequence of impacts produced a three-vehicle collision at the junction with Kier Hardie Avenue, with all vehicles remaining on their wheels, a Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said.

As reported by a Liverpool ECHO journalist, emergency services were called to the scene of the crash on Southport Road, between Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue, at around 5.30pm. Photographs taken by a witness at the scene showed one car badly damaged, positioned sideways across the road, with its front bumper and bonnet smashed, while a second vehicle could be seen parked at the side of the road nearby.

Who was injured in the Bootle crash?

A Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson told the Liverpool ECHO that the occupants of two of the cars involved in the crash remained at the scene and were unhurt, but the occupants of a third vehicle had fled. In its statement, Merseyside Police said the driver of the Mondeo left the scene and that enquiries are ongoing to trace him. Fire crews found the occupants of the remaining two vehicles out of their cars on arrival and uninjured, the fire service spokesman added.

When did emergency services arrive and how long was the road closed?

Crews were alerted at 5.27pm and on scene at 5.34pm, with two fire engines in attendance, according to the fire service spokesman quoted by the Liverpool ECHO. Crews isolated the battery to one vehicle and applied an absorbent material to the area to make the scene safe, while Merseyside Police were in attendance managing traffic. Crews left the scene in the hands of police at 5.55pm.

Southport Road was closed between Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue following the crash at around 5.30pm on 3 September, as reported by the Liverpool ECHO. Online traffic monitor INRIX reported that the road had reopened at 6.40pm.

What have police and fire services said about the incident?

In a statement from a Merseyside Police spokesperson on Friday, they said:

“At around 5.20pm a Ford Mondeo reportedly collided with a parked police van and was then driven off where it collided with a second vehicle, a Mercedes which in turn collided with a Renault Trafic van.”

“The driver of the Mondeo left the scene and enquiries are ongoing to trace him,”

the spokesperson added.

A fire service spokesman said: “Fire crews were called to a road traffic collision this evening on Southport Road, Bootle.” “Crews arrived to find three cars involved in a collision at the junction with Kier Hardie Avenue, all vehicles were on all four wheels.” “The occupants of one vehicle had left the scene before the arrival of crews, the occupants of the remaining two vehicles were out of the vehicles on arrival and uninjured.”

Where exactly did the Ford Mondeo crash into the police van?

The incident occurred on Southport Road in Bootle, between Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue, at the junction with Kier Hardie Avenue, according to statements from Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service cited by the Liverpool ECHO. The road closure was applied between Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue while emergency services worked at the scene.

Background to the development

Road traffic collisions involving police vehicles in the UK typically trigger multi-agency responses, with police forces managing investigations and traffic while fire and rescue services attend to vehicle safety, fuel leaks and battery isolation. In incidents where a driver departs the scene, forces commonly issue public appeals for information and review available footage to identify the vehicle and its driver. The Bootle incident follows a pattern seen in other recent UK reports where vehicles have collided with parked or marked police vehicles and drivers have subsequently fled, prompting searches and arrests in separate cases.

Prediction: how this development could affect local residents and road users

If the Mondeo driver is traced and charged, the case is likely to reinforce local awareness of hit-and-run offences and the consequences of failing to stop after a collision, potentially influencing driver behaviour on Southport Road and surrounding streets. For residents and commuters in Bootle, the temporary closure highlighted how quickly a single incident can disrupt evening traffic, suggesting that future similar events may again cause short-term delays between Burnie Avenue and Wolfenden Avenue. For the wider audience of Merseyside road users, the police statement that enquiries are ongoing signals continued investigative activity, which could lead to further public appeals or the release of additional details as the inquiry progresses.