8:09 am, January 13, 2022
Bosses at a used car dealership say the business has been left £250,000 out of pocket after cars parked on its forecourt were smashed up by a VW Golf that was involved in a high-speed police chase.
Car Dealer reported last year that the hatchback had ploughed into Enkae Prestige in Huddersfield, destroying a number of high end vehicles in the process.
Following the shocking incident, which was captured on CCTV, West Yorkshire Police opened an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
The force later arrested two people in relation to the bust-up but the CPS decided against charges due to ‘evidential issues’.
It means that Enkae will be left to absorb the cost of the collision itself, much to the fury of those in charge.
The jaw-dropping CCTV footage showed the Golf speeding into shot before smashing through a fence and into the dealership.
It then rolled on to its side before police arrived on the scene moments later.
The collision caused significant damage to an £80,000 Mercedes C63s AMG as well as an Audi RS5 worth roughly £72,000 and two Mercedes A45 AMGs worth about £60,000 each, Yorkshire Live reported.
However, according to executives at Enkae, the firm’s insurance company is currently refusing to pay out after police closed their investigation.
James Hodges, marketing and social media manager at Enkae, has slammed the police for failing to help the dealership and says officers didn’t take statements from key witnesses.
He said: ‘The police have closed the case and are not releasing any more information. Our insurance has said that, as the case is now closed, they are not going to pay out.
‘We are in a difficult situation as a business because we have lost £250,000 in stock.
‘Our insurance company is saying we have to wait for the police to give us the names of the people in the car and chase that information up. We’re at a loss – what do we do with this?’
He added: ‘A witness saw everything and saw the two people in the car. The police have not taken a statement from that witness. It’s very unusual.
‘That would help us with our insurance – it’s a big thing.’
In response to the stinging criticism, West Yorkshire Police has insisted it carried out a ‘thorough investigation’ into the incident.
A spokesman for the force said: ‘West Yorkshire Police carried out a thorough investigation into the incident which led to the arrest of two people in connection with the matter, who were later released under investigation.
‘A charge file was submitted to the CPS but was not progressed due to evidential issues and the case has now been closed.’
