Suspected shoplifter swept into culvert as he tried to escape police

12:00pm Saturday 29th September 2012 in News

A SUSPECTED shoplifter jumped into a river and was swept 300 metres along an underground culvert in a desperate bit to evade capture by the police.

The 36-year-old man, believed to have stolen a bottle of vodka, was pulled to safety by specialist firefighters and was lucky to be alive, according to a local councillor.

Police and firefighters were called to the River Darwen close to Hardman Way, Darwen, after the man was chased out of Sainsbury’s by security staff at 10am.

Inspector Bob Eaton said: “The suspected shoplifter climbed into the river outside Sainsbury’s and ran into the culvert, where there was several feet of water. He went a considerable distance.

“In a joint operation, police officers and firefighters contained the area and the man was arrested after coming out of the other end.”

A huge network of large underground culverts, made of stone and big enough to walk through if dry, exists beneath Blackburn and Darwen.

A spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Two men wearing full kit were sent into the river after being called by police, but the man managed to climb out of the other end.”

Police said the man was taken for precautionary checks at Royal Blackburn Hospital because of a low body temperature. A bottle of vodka with a tag was recovered from him.

Sudell councillor Roy Davies said: “It is a very dangerous culvert. He is lucky to be alive, although I don’t have any sympathy for him.

“I was looking at it the other day and there is only a bit of a wall that isn’t very high and then a wooden fence.

“If a child went in there they would never come out and it worries me.

“People don’t realise how strong the current is there when the rain has been coming.

“The river was so swollen the other day it was only a couple of feet from the top of the culvert.”

Marsh House town councillor Simon Huggill said: “This is complete and utter madness. This was a very dangerous thing to do, and for the price of whatever was stolen, it’s not worth risking your life for.

“I think that every single shoplifter should be prosecuted because they’re not just stealing from the shop, but from the ordinary people who have to pay price rises to cover losses.”

Comments (21)

12:17pm Sat 29 Sep 12

N4you! says...

maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives N4you!

12:23pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Deadwoodchamps says...

Typical blackburn with darwen behaviour......... MK Dons 2 barstewards 1......... Whooooooo hooooooo ;-)
Typical blackburn with darwen behaviour......... MK Dons 2 barstewards 1......... Whooooooo hooooooo ;-) Deadwoodchamps

12:26pm Sat 29 Sep 12

sen c ble says...

N4you! wrote:
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
Doubt it very much mate.
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
[quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble! sen c ble

12:47pm Sat 29 Sep 12

HarryBosch says...

Roy Davies said "It is a very dangerous culvert - if a child got in it would not be able to get out"
Sounds like a very dangerous hazard for children especially with this recent bad weather. Just a pity it's taken a criminal to highlight it but now that it has been highlighted is something going to be done.
Roy Davies said "It is a very dangerous culvert - if a child got in it would not be able to get out" Sounds like a very dangerous hazard for children especially with this recent bad weather. Just a pity it's taken a criminal to highlight it but now that it has been highlighted is something going to be done. HarryBosch

12:50pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Rimbus says...

N4you! wrote:
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
He's an alcoholic, not an otter!
[quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]He's an alcoholic, not an otter! Rimbus

1:09pm Sat 29 Sep 12

commonsenseplease says...

Rimbus wrote:
N4you! wrote:
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
He's an alcoholic, not an otter!
LOL
No doubt he will go onto re offend.
[quote][p][bold]Rimbus[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]He's an alcoholic, not an otter![/p][/quote]LOL No doubt he will go onto re offend. commonsenseplease

1:16pm Sat 29 Sep 12

peely says...

Did he get to keep the bottle of vodka?
Did he get to keep the bottle of vodka? peely

1:24pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Rimbus says...

peely wrote:
Did he get to keep the bottle of vodka?
It'll be in the police 'evidence room' and will probably get cracked open at the CID Xmas party!
[quote][p][bold]peely[/bold] wrote: Did he get to keep the bottle of vodka?[/p][/quote]It'll be in the police 'evidence room' and will probably get cracked open at the CID Xmas party! Rimbus

2:11pm Sat 29 Sep 12

chris283 says...

Councillor davies you had not pity what if he would have died and you have been elected to say stupid things like that no wonder darwen is going down hill
Councillor davies you had not pity what if he would have died and you have been elected to say stupid things like that no wonder darwen is going down hill chris283

2:32pm Sat 29 Sep 12

milano says...

Swept away? It wasn't the current it was his own two feet sweeping him away in the hope that he could make it out the other side before the police got there.
Swept away? It wasn't the current it was his own two feet sweeping him away in the hope that he could make it out the other side before the police got there. milano

2:38pm Sat 29 Sep 12

vanmanstan says...

one foot on his head would have sorted future shoplifting activities.
one foot on his head would have sorted future shoplifting activities. vanmanstan

2:42pm Sat 29 Sep 12

mavrick says...

When someone is that desperate the authorities should force them to have the treatment they need. It is obvious this man is an alcoholic, you can prosecute all you like, but if you don't give the help then nothing will change.
When someone is that desperate the authorities should force them to have the treatment they need. It is obvious this man is an alcoholic, you can prosecute all you like, but if you don't give the help then nothing will change. mavrick

2:49pm Sat 29 Sep 12

mick1967 says...

ROY DAVIES you are a judgeMENTAL idiot i'm sure it says SUSPECTED shoplifter yes it is dangerous and needs sorting out but the only person guilty here is you,for all you know he might be half man half badger and have a really nice house there
ROY DAVIES you are a judgeMENTAL idiot i'm sure it says SUSPECTED shoplifter yes it is dangerous and needs sorting out but the only person guilty here is you,for all you know he might be half man half badger and have a really nice house there mick1967

4:21pm Sat 29 Sep 12

CapitaBackHander says...

Oh what a shame the headline wasn't correct.....
What an idiot - he had the bottle still on him when he was retrieved - DUH!
Oh what a shame the headline wasn't correct..... What an idiot - he had the bottle still on him when he was retrieved - DUH! CapitaBackHander

7:56pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Rimbus says...

mick1967 wrote:
ROY DAVIES you are a judgeMENTAL idiot i'm sure it says SUSPECTED shoplifter yes it is dangerous and needs sorting out but the only person guilty here is you,for all you know he might be half man half badger and have a really nice house there
??????

I suggest you take more water with it!
[quote][p][bold]mick1967[/bold] wrote: ROY DAVIES you are a judgeMENTAL idiot i'm sure it says SUSPECTED shoplifter yes it is dangerous and needs sorting out but the only person guilty here is you,for all you know he might be half man half badger and have a really nice house there[/p][/quote]?????? I suggest you take more water with it! Rimbus

8:56pm Sat 29 Sep 12

ossym says...

sen c ble wrote:
N4you! wrote:
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
Doubt it very much mate.
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ?
I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak.
The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it!
Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
[quote][p][bold]sen c ble[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble![/p][/quote]Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river. ossym

9:12pm Sat 29 Sep 12

CapitaBackHander says...

ossym wrote:
sen c ble wrote:
N4you! wrote:
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
Doubt it very much mate.
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ?
I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak.
The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it!
Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
They don't make enough cotton wool, do they?
[quote][p][bold]ossym[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]sen c ble[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble![/p][/quote]Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.[/p][/quote]They don't make enough cotton wool, do they? CapitaBackHander

9:17pm Sat 29 Sep 12

vanmanstan says...

ossym wrote:
sen c ble wrote:
N4you! wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
off you go then
[quote][p][bold]ossym[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]sen c ble[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble![/p][/quote]Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.[/p][/quote]off you go then vanmanstan

10:21pm Sat 29 Sep 12

Rimbus says...

ossym wrote:
sen c ble wrote:
N4you! wrote:
maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
Doubt it very much mate.
He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ?
I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak.
The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it!
Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
No but I do remember a Paul Parkinson who went to Cedar Street Primary School from 1972 - 1979. He had his house key tied on a string round his neck and a little white handkerchief that had a little bee embroidered in one corner and his mum had sewn his initials into it so it didn't get lost. He got in big trouble once for starting a competition in the boys toilets to see who could wee the highest up the wall and the caretaker complained about the mess in the toilets to the headmistress who went ballistic. He regularly brought a letter in to say that he couldn't do PE because he had astma but it was really because he had a third nipple (like Scaramanga in James Bond) and didn't like getting teased about it.

Is it the same person?
[quote][p][bold]ossym[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]sen c ble[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble![/p][/quote]Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.[/p][/quote]No but I do remember a Paul Parkinson who went to Cedar Street Primary School from 1972 - 1979. He had his house key tied on a string round his neck and a little white handkerchief that had a little bee embroidered in one corner and his mum had sewn his initials into it so it didn't get lost. He got in big trouble once for starting a competition in the boys toilets to see who could wee the highest up the wall and the caretaker complained about the mess in the toilets to the headmistress who went ballistic. He regularly brought a letter in to say that he couldn't do PE because he had astma but it was really because he had a third nipple (like Scaramanga in James Bond) and didn't like getting teased about it. Is it the same person? Rimbus

7:35pm Sun 30 Sep 12

ossym says...

vanmanstan wrote:
ossym wrote:
sen c ble wrote:
N4you! wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives
Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble!
Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.
off you go then
Very funny, ignorance is bliss.

I certainly wont be going off down there but there are plenty who might, including schoolchildren on way home from school.

Maybe you think one person actually losing thier life isnt important enough to mention even though it could easily happen again.

Anyway why let trivial things like saving lives get in the way of a witty one liner?

Stick to what you know best Stan - road safety maybe?
[quote][p][bold]vanmanstan[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ossym[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]sen c ble[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]N4you![/bold] wrote: maybe he's homeless and that is where he lives[/p][/quote]Doubt it very much mate. He could have ended up on the otherside, at River Ribble![/p][/quote]Anyone remember Paul Parkinson who drowned in the blakewater found at back of Lidl on King St Blackburn in 2002 ? I reckon he fell in at King St bridge whilst taking a leak. The gate to the river on King St. is still open and nothing done about it! Anyone could walk straight from King St on to a high narrow unguarded edge over the river.[/p][/quote]off you go then[/p][/quote]Very funny, ignorance is bliss. I certainly wont be going off down there but there are plenty who might, including schoolchildren on way home from school. Maybe you think one person actually losing thier life isnt important enough to mention even though it could easily happen again. Anyway why let trivial things like saving lives get in the way of a witty one liner? Stick to what you know best Stan - road safety maybe? ossym

10:53pm Sun 30 Sep 12

Darwen Malc says...

OMG - what a load of whingers!
Look, if parents (or parent - seeing as we are in Darwen) can't teach their kids not to go near water who cares? I don't, for one!!
As a kid, no lodges, railways, quarries etc were fenced off. I was simply told by my parents not to go anywhere near there, and if I did, then God help me, cos I would have got a good hiding! Nowadays, lily livered PC, or couldn't care less, parents expect everyone else to take responsibility!
NO, the responsibility lies with the parents of those kids, so, unless it's a tragic accident, the death of any kids in such situations lies on the parents shoulders. End of.
OMG - what a load of whingers! Look, if parents (or parent - seeing as we are in Darwen) can't teach their kids not to go near water who cares? I don't, for one!! As a kid, no lodges, railways, quarries etc were fenced off. I was simply told by my parents not to go anywhere near there, and if I did, then God help me, cos I would have got a good hiding! Nowadays, lily livered PC, or couldn't care less, parents expect everyone else to take responsibility! NO, the responsibility lies with the parents of those kids, so, unless it's a tragic accident, the death of any kids in such situations lies on the parents shoulders. End of. Darwen Malc

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