Gardaí cut from car ‘after being rammed’ by van

Two gardaí had to be cut from their patrol car last night after it was rammed by a van in Co Louth.

Both men were taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda after the collision on the M1 motorway at Whiterath near Castlebellingham at around 9pm.

The van, a UK-registered Ford Transit, was travelling at high speed on the northbound lane of the motorway, which caught the attention of the garda traffic unit from Dundalk.

A Garda spokesman said the injured gardaí, who are stationed in Blackrock, had responded to a call for assistance from the traffic corps.

The spokesman said the van did not stop and rammed the patrol car causing it to spin a number of times before it collided with a barrier on the hard shoulder near junction 15.

The van “seemed determined not to stop. This was a deliberate reckless act that could have resulted in far more serious injuries,” the spokesman added.

The driver of the patrol car remained in hospital with non-life threatening head injuries and the passenger has been discharged.

Gardaí are investigating and are seeking the vehicle that drove away from the scene.

A stretch of the motorway was closed for two and a half hours but has reopened.