A MAN in his 70s was taken to hospital after his car was involved in a collision with a police car in Ramshill, Petersfield, on Monday morning.

Hampshire Constabulary said the police car was pursuing another vehicle when, shortly after 10.05am, it collided with a Vauxhall Vectra opposite the Esso garage.

The driver of the Vectra, a man in his 70s, was taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.

The collision left Ramshill strewn with debris and closed the road in both directions for around four hours until the vehicles could be recovered. It reopened shortly after 2pm.

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: “Officers attempted to stop a vehicle for road traffic offences.

“The collision is currently under investigation but has not been referred to Professional Standards or the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

“The Vauxhall Vectra was not the car being pursued and no other injuries were reported. The road was closed while vehicles were recovered.”

Police pursuits, and particularly those in built-up areas, are permitted only under strict circumstances – and police officers are directed to avoid pursuits as a “primary consideration”.

According to the national College of Policing, “If the decision is made to engage in a pursuit because it is in the public interest to protect life, prevent or detect crime, or to apprehend an offender, then it must be conducted with proportionality and due regard for the circumstances.”