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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Paul Britton

Man interviewed by police in connection with illegal car cruise meet in Denton

A man has been interviewed by police in connection with the car cruise meet in Denton.

Hundreds of drivers, the majority in high-performance cars, ended up blocking a stretch of the M60 motorway as they travelled to the illegal event on Sunday.

In response to damning comments made by Denton MP Andrew Gwynne, Greater Manchester Police has vowed to take 'swift' and 'robust' actions against those involved.

Police were forced to close the M60 anticlockwise, at junction 24 for Denton, leaving many hundreds of motorists stranded in queues.

Thousands of people are believed to have attended the event, dubbed 'DMO shutdown,' at JDK Autoworx garage, on Tameside Business Park.

Traffic queues on the M67 (Manchester Evening News)

Local residents reported drivers performing dangerous stunts, and driving at speeds of up to 130mph in residential areas.

GMP said on Thursday a man has been interviewed by police officers in connection with the 'illegal car cruising event'.

The force said a 25-year-old man voluntarily attended an interview with officers at a police station in Hyde today - Thursday.

A representative from Tameside council's environmental health team was also present, GMP said.

Tyre marks on the industrial estate (Manchester Evening News)

In a statement, the force said the man 'continues to be under investigation'.

He hasn't been named.

No further details have been released.

Superintendent Jane Higham said: "We continue to recognise the level of upset and dissatisfaction within the local community after the events of last Sunday.

"The scenes posted on social media were not acceptable and we are absolutely committed to piecing together the full circumstances of this event.

"We hope that the news that a man has been interviewed by police officers reinforces our commitment and demonstrates that we are still actively investigating, alongside our partners at the local authority.

Thousands are believed to have attended (SnapMap)

"It's important to stress that enquiries into last Sunday’s event are very much ongoing and we will pursue anyone found to have committed an offence.

"This type of behaviour is reckless and puts our communities at risk.

"We will continue to explore all measures available to us, with a view to preventing any similar events occurring in the future.

"By the same token, we would urge the public to please reach out to us if they have any intelligence that could help us gather a wider picture and stop the coordination and organisation of such illegal events taking place in the next few weeks or months."

The cars involved are said to have been following an organiser.

They travelled almost 100 miles from Telford to Tameside.

Video footage from Tik Tok shows a number of car enthusiasts stopped in the middle of the motorway - leaving innocent drivers stuck for hours.

One clip shows drivers involved in the meet hanging out of their cars, filming the stream of traffic behind them, with sounds of beeping and the revving of engines.

A man climbed on to the top of his Range Rover - and another used the central reservation to get better shots of the convoy.

The force said earlier that registration plates were being collated.

Police said motoring offences would be considered, alongside contraventions of the coronavirus lockdown legislation.

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