THIS is the dramatic moment police cars chased the driver of a black Jeep through busy rush-hour traffic.

In dashcam footage obtained by the Gazette, shows unmarked cars pursuing the speeding vehicle which mounts the grass verge on the A339 leading up to the Black Dam roundabout.

The incident happened just after 5.30pm on October 23 on the link road which runs up to the M3.

Witnesses said the unmarked police car arrived at the lights from the Basingstoke direction and quickly spun around against the tide of the traffic to snare the Jeep.

An eyewitness told the Gazette: “The unmarked BMW pulled across purposely trying to intercept the black car. The unmarked car slowed right down as it saw it coming and pulled across in its path.

“It rammed into the side of the police car and airbags went off in both cars. Immediately after the crash someone got out of the intercepted car and ran back into the flow of the traffic towards the M3. It looked like someone police were expecting.”

The eyewitness said that two officers then began chase the two men who had run off from the vehicle.

One said: "Two lads got out the car then just ran for the bushes."

Another person told this newspaper: "I was waiting at the traffic lights at the bottom of the slip road after leaving the M3 coming from the London direction into Basingstoke.

"At least three unmarked police cars raced through the traffic lights - just after they changed to green on our side - and they went round back towards Black Dam.

"At the Black Dam roundabout I turned left towards Alton; there was a policeman on his radio at the junction, and then I saw two lads being restrained by police on the grass bank in the middle of the dual carriageway. They looked to be in their twenties."

Hampshire Constabulary has confirmed Scotland Yard are dealing with this incident and it is for the Met Police to comment.

A spokesman for the Met said the incident is ongoing.

Officers were tonight seen combing through bushes following the incident while interviewing witnesses.

Follow our live blog for updates as we get them

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What is the law around police chases?

A police driver is deemed to be in pursuit when a driver/motorcyclist indicates by their actions or continuance of their manner of driving/riding that:

they have no intention of stopping for the police, and

the police driver believes that the driver of the subject vehicle is aware of the requirement to stop and decides to continue behind the subject vehicle with a view to either reporting its progress or stopping it.

When a situation falls within the definition of a pursuit, officers need to decide whether a pursuit is justified, proportionate and conforms to the principle of least intrusion. Pursuits may be spontaneous or part of pre-planned operations.

The Home Office carried out a public consultation earlier this year on proposals to introduce a new legal test for police officers facing possible criminal charges after a high speed chase.

Currently, all emergency services drivers are exempt from speed limit, traffic light and sign violations when undertaking a 999 response.

Amid concerns about moped crime, the Met Police in London made changes to the way they tackled perpretators.

Police made efforts to smash the myth that officers cannot chase suspects if they are not wearing a helmet.

The Metropolitan Police publicly aired its tactics that included tyre-deflation spikes and ramming suspects off motorbikes.

In March the force released figures that suggested a 49% drop in moped-enabled crime – there were 12,540 offences in the 12 months to January 2019, compared to 24,398 the previous year.