Appeal following reports of pedestrians on the M53

Police are appealing for witnesses and video footage following reports of pedestrians on the M53 at Ellesmere Port.

At around 4.50pm on Thursday 27 October, officers received multiple calls from motorists reporting up to four pedestrians on the southbound carriageway between junctions 9, the Boat Museum, and junction 10, Cheshire Oaks.

The callers reported seeing two stationary vehicles on the hard shoulder, with two men and a woman stood next to them.

The also reported seeing a third man, with curly brown hair, who ran across the motorway.

Some of the callers also stated that they believed one of the men may have been armed.

Officers attended the scene but on arrival found no trace of the people and both vehicles had left the scene.

Enquiries in relation to the incident have been ongoing and officers are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with any dashcam footage.

Detective Constable Shannon Reid said:

“Enquiries in relation to these reports are ongoing and we are committed to doing all we can to establish what took place.

“This M53 is a busy motorway and at the time the incident is reported to have taken place there are likely to have been hundreds of motorists passing through who may have witnessed what happened.

“I would urge anyone who thinks they may have seen the incident to come forward. The same goes for anyone with any dashcam footage which may aid our investigation.”

Anyone with information is urged to call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting IML1398521 or report it online via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us .

Information can also be passed on to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or online via https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously .