Man driving ‘runaway’ electric Jaguar arrested a week later

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing a public nuisance after a “runaway” electric Jaguar had to be brought to a halt by eight police cars.

A widely-reported incident on March 6 saw a Jaguar I-Pace speeding down the M62 motorway with its driver saying its brakes were not working.

Police from three forces, spanning Merseyside, Greater Manchester and West Midlands, had to be dispatched to the motorway after the car’s driver called 999 for help.

The £80,000 Jaguar was safely brought to a halt after it ran out of battery power, with its driver claiming he involuntarily reached speeds close to 100mph.

Nobody was injured during the 35-minute incident, which saw two lanes of the M62 closed to other traffic.

Merseyside Police said on Wednesday that a 31-year-old man from Bolton had been arrested after the incident.

“A man has been arrested in relation to an incident on the M62 on 6th March when officers from the force Roads Policing Unit were called to help stop a vehicle safely,” the force said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.

The man is being held on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing a public nuisance.

A spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover, maker of the I-Pace, said: “Following a detailed investigation in partnership with the Merseyside Police and other authorities, we understand an individual has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing a public nuisance, relating to the incident on the M62 on Wednesday, March 6th.

“JLR seeks to investigate all reports of issues relating to product safety and will continue to co-operate with Merseyside Police and the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency where required.”

The Telegraph understands that experts from Jaguar and the DVLA have both inspected the vehicle at the centre of the incident.

Separately, other motorists have claimed that they experienced problems with the brakes on their I-Pace electric vehicles.

Craig Phillips, the first winner of Channel 4 TV series Big Brother, claimed the brakes on his I-Pace failed as he was driving with his young children.

He said his £76,000 vehicle malfunctioned as he approached a red light near his home in Merseyside on New Year’s Eve.

‘What a terrifying feeling’

The 52-year-old said the brake pedal of his EV appeared to jam while taking his wife Laura Sherriff, 37, and their children, aged three and five, out for a meal.

He told MailOnline: “I can’t describe to you what a terrifying feeling that was when the two children are in the back. The more I pushed down, the more it forced up, and the car carried on rolling.

“I’ve experienced that four or five times in the past with old builder’s vans, but this was the complete opposite. This was like the hydraulic pushing my foot up.”

Mr Phillips said he was lucky that the lights changed from red to green and the two cars in front of him pulled away before he collided with them.