Schools told to close as police chase arson suspect

News imageGoogle A single-track lane runs through a wooded area with trees all around and a wired fence to the rightGoogle
Police were called to a crash on Basford Lane in a wooded area near Leek

Police told schools to close as they searched for a man suspected of arson and drink and drug driving who had fled the scene of a crash.

The 34-year-old man from the Cheadle area in Staffordshire was arrested after a crash involving two vehicles in Cheddleton at about 13:30 BST on Tuesday, police said.

The force said the man had left the scene on foot, and the other driver, a woman, was taken to hospital by a relative.

The same suspect was believed to have been involved in a "domestic incident" earlier that day, with officers finding a car on fire at Vicarage Road in Leek at about 09:30 BST.

The fire service was also called to extinguish the blaze.

After the crash on Basford Lane in the afternoon officers closed the road while they searched for the suspect in a nearby wooded area with the help of a National Police Air Service drone.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said local schools were advised to close during this search. The schools involved have not been identified by police.

A man was later arrested in Fountain Street, Leek, on suspicion of arson and drug and drink-driving and remains in custody

Police are appealing for anyone with information, CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage to contact them.

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