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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Jamie Grierson and agencies

Man ‘forced to drive electric car into police van’ in Scotland after brakes fail

Brian Morrison next to his blue MG
Brian Morrison said nine warning lights suddenly flashed on his dashboard and he was unable to slow down. Photograph: Katielee Arrowsmith/Katielee Arrowsmith SWNS

A man has said he was forced to drive his electric car into a police van to stop the vehicle when its brakes failed, according to reports.

Brian Morrison, 54, told the Scottish Sun his six-month-old MG malfunctioned and would not go slower than 15mph (24km/h) on his drive from work to his home in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow. MG said it has since contacted Morrison.

Morrison said nine warning lights suddenly flashed on his dashboard and when he was unable to slow down he called emergency services, leading to a convoy of police joining him.

After being escorted by the police for 15 minutes, officers told him to bump into the back of one of their vans to bring it to a halt before they reached a busy main road.

He said: “I was terrified – even though I wasn’t going a fast speed it’s still worrying. I used to think 15mph was slow but when you’re in a car that can’t stop it’s not slow – it felt like 60mph.”

Officers confirmed they brought the car to a controlled halt and no one was injured as a result of the incident.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.35pm on Sunday 1 October, we received a report of a driver unable to stop his electric car on the A803 heading towards Kirkintilloch. The car was travelling at a low speed and officers carried out a controlled halt with the aid of a police vehicle. There was no damage to either vehicle. The driver arranged for the vehicle to be recovered.”

A statement from MG Motor UK said: “MG Motor UK has been urgently trying to make contact with Mr Morrison so that his vehicle can be fully inspected by our engineering team.

“We take this matter very seriously and now that contact has been made, we will be making every effort to resolve matters quickly and comprehensively for him.”

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