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Police Charity road trip scuppered after officers spin in oil and crash into a ditch
1 May 2025, 09:59
Two Met police officers driving a Ford KA from the UK to Lisbon for charity were forced to abandon their quest after crashing their small car into a ditch in the South of France.
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Officers Nick Archer and James Smith were raising money for COPS, the Care of Police Survivors charity, who support families of deceased police officers, when the shock accident happened.
Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, the two Met officers, who are in good spirits despite the crash, revealed what really led to the accident.
“I'm gonna have to put my hands up to this one,” Officer Nick Archer said, admitting he was driving when the crash occurred.
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He blamed the incident on “bad weather”, a diagnosis James Smith agreed with.
“I wouldn't have to stick up for Nick here,” he said.
“The fire brigade who attended they did say that they are down there regularly and lorries go along and drop oil on the road.”
Nick added: “Well, we came around a right hand bend. Like I say, wet. Visibility of the road was good, but as we got around the bend, the back of the car decided to overtake the front of the car and unfortunately, the car hit a grass verge and then rolled over, landing on its on four wheels.”
Both officers were rescued following the crash, but upon arriving back in the UK, Nick was hospitalised due to an injury to his neck.
The pair added: “We set ourselves the challenge of driving from London to Lisbon in a Ford KA, to raise money for the charity, Care of Police Survivors.
“We were in the Pyrenees on Day 3, crossing from France into Spain. It was raining, and we caught some oil on a bend that caused the car to spin over twice and land in a ditch.
“A passerby helped us and phoned the police and ambulance.
“We were checked over by paramedics at the side of the road. After going home, I found out I had a compressed spine. The car was scrapped, so we got a train to Bordeaux and then a flight to Gatwick. We failed the challenge so it feels wrong asking for donations now.”
Despite the hitch, the two officers have raised a whopping £5,318 pound for the policing charity.
If you want to contribute - head over to their JustGiving page here to donate.
