POLICE have warned drivers not to jump the cattle grid in Minehead’s North Hill for sport, after a car driven by an uninsured, unlicensed person was badly damaged and the road blocked.

The incident took place last Thursday afternoon, and local policeman PC Sam Donati said he was aware of concerns over driving in the area, with some people regarding the cattle grid there as a long jump competition.

“I will be paying particular attention over the next few weeks,” he said.

“They were incredibly lucky that the tree this car piled into went between the engine and chassis leg ... If it had hit either [the driver or passenger], the outcome could have been very different.”

He said the person driving was being interviewed in regard to careless driving, and the owner of the vehicle was also being spoken to over permitting use of it by an unlicensed, uninsured driver.

He warned in a post on Facebook, that “driving like a fool will likely land you with either a fixed penalty notice or a Section 59 warning regarding antisocial driving. If you’ve been driving less than two years you stand likely to be returned to the status of a learner.”