Police hunt driver of Vauxhall Astra found crashed with engine running

Police are appealing for information after a car was found crashed in Burns Street, Edinburgh, around 9.25am yesterday morning with the keys in the ignition and the engine still running.

The silver Vauxhall Astra had been seen earlier, around 9am, by officers on patrol in Easter Road.

When they asked the driver to stop after noticing a defect on the vehicle, it did not and they followed it along Restalrig Road towards the junction with East Hermitage Place where it accelerated away.

Around 9.25am, these officers came across the same Vauxhall Astra which had collided with the drainpipe of a building in Burns Street. They searched the area but there was no trace of the driver.

Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, of the Road Policing Unit based in Edinburgh, said: “We are appealing for anyone walking or driving in the Leith area at the time who may have seen this car being driven, possibly at speed, to get in touch.

“The car may have been driven along a number of streets between Easter Road and Burns Street. These include Brunswick Road, Leith Links, Albion Road, Albion Place, Hawkhill Avenue, Lochend Road, Sleigh Drive, Lochend Drive and Restalrig Road.

“In particular, anyone with dash-cam footage that may show the car is asked to contact us. If you can help please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0724 of 9 October, 2020, or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”