Driver gets £60 fine after moving a yard through red light to let police van on 999 call pass

A driver was fined for moving a yard through a red light to allow a police van responding to an emergency call to pass.

Phillip Lilley was waiting at a junction in Droylsden, Manchester when he saw the police van behind him with its blue lights on and sirens blaring.



The 36-year-old, watched two cars drive through the red light before edging his black Lexus forward so the van could pass.

Fined for moving a yard: Phillip Lilley received a £60 fine and three penalty points for moving through a red light to allow a police van on a 999 call through

But he was left stunned when, a few days later, he got a letter to say he had been caught on camera jumping the light. He was given a £60 fine and three penalty points.

Mr Lilley, a father-of-five from of Droylsden, requested photographic evidence of his 'crime' and said it clearly showed him making way for the police van.

He said: 'The guy in front of me pulled through the junction so I followed him. What am I supposed to do, just stay there and not move?



Caught red-handed: CCTV photo shows Phillip Lilley's front tyres just over the line at the lights at the junction of Manchester Road and Market Street, in Droylsden

'I crossed the line 33 seconds after the lights turned to red, I was doing 12 miles per hour and my brake lights were on.



'The police van is clearly in view but I spoke to the Central Ticket Office and they said I shouldn't have moved.



'I wonder how many other people this has happened to. If this is standard practice then the next time I'm sitting at the traffic lights and an emergency vehicle comes, I'm not moving.'

Why motorist Phillip Lilley went through the red light

Mechanic Mr Lilley said he is concerned that if other motorists do not move for emergency vehicles, lives could be at risk.



He said: 'People cannot afford to have points on their licence. If there is an emergency and five or six cars do not move because they don't want to be fined it could cause a delay. That could mean the emergency services turn up too late.'



Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership said emergency vehicle drivers were trained to manoeuvre around other cars.



Spokesman Karen Delaney said: 'If the lights are red you are putting yourself in danger if you go through them.

'You risk getting a ticket but if there is evidence that backs it up that you have manoeuvred on behalf of an emergency vehicle then we will look into it.'

The Driving Standards Agency said there are no official guidelines on motorists moving out of the way of emergency vehicles. A spokesman said Rule 219 of the Highway Code says motorists should consider the route of the emergency vehicle and take appropriate action to allow it to pass while complying with traffic signs.

Last July, Khalid Mahmood was fined for pulling into a bus lane to allow an ambulance to pass in Manchester. The fine was later withdrawn by the council.

