South Ribble Police

We’re appealing for witnesses, CCTV and dashcam footage after a collision in Samlesbury.

We were called to Whalley Road at around 6pm on Tuesday May 26th to reports a green Mini, which had travelled up the A59 from the M6, had left the road and come to a stop in a field.

Three occupants, a man and two women suffered minor injuries.

Were you in the area at the time? Did you see what happened or have footage which could help our investigation? If so, please get in contact on 101, quoting the log number 1296 of 26th May 2026 or email [email protected]

Your Neighbourhood Policing team have been out today across Leyland completing Community Road Watch operations. We have conducted these operations on 20mph roads including Fox Lane, Slater Lane and School Lane, Moss Side.

Across these three locations the team have monitored 162 cars and identified that 24 drivers were over the speed limit. The majority of drivers are keeping our roads safe and the minority will be warned about their speed over the coming days.

If you have concerns in your area about speeding please tell us on the Lancashire Road Safety Website, we will then attend those locations and complete similar operations.

We’re asking for your help to find wanted Joshua Hartley.

We want to speak to Hartley, 27, as part of our enquiries into a report of stalking and criminal damage.

He is 6ft 3in with light brown hair and blue eyes.

Hartley has links to Preston, Leyland and Chorley.

If you see him, or know where he is please call 101 quoting log 1156 of 26th April.

: The results are in….🥁

Over 700 knives have been recovered across South Division during , a national intensive week of action to tackle knife crime

Recently, officers from across the Division, which covers the areas of Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire carried out a range of activity - Here’s what we did:

❗24 test purchase visits to check retailers are complying with legislation. Good news - 20 stores passed the test. 4 sold knives to children.
❗Inputs at multiple schools to raise awareness of the impact of carrying a knife
❗Numerous weapon sweeps in local parks and public spaces to ensure the areas are safe for the local community.
❗Deployment of the knife detection at various areas, including shopping centres.

Knife surrender bins across the Division were also emptied and 736 knives were recovered.

For more information and to find out where your local knife bin is, click here 👉 https://orlo.uk/q5GXN

Hi!

Your local South Ribble Neighbourhood Policing Team here!

Recently we have had a spate of youths setting fires in the local area of Leyland and Bamber Bridge area.

The below picture is an image of a memorial bench that was recently set on fire in Leyland. These deliberate acts puts both the young people and their associates at risk and also the communities they live in.

This bench is now destroyed and will have to be replaced.

We have also had a recent spike due to the hot weather of young people getting into dangerous and life threatening situations in open water.

"Don't let others talk you into it. Open water is unpredictable, cold and has hidden dangers – it's not worth the risk."

We ask that parents and carers speak with their children regarding the risks of fire and open water.

We want you to enjoy your half term and stay safe!

Thank you!

🚨 update 🚨

So last week you may have seen us carrying out Preventative work around Knife and weapon crime including...

🔪 Weapons Sweeps
👩‍🏫 Educational Inputs
📚 Literature handouts at Schools
🚔 Vulnerable premise visits
🗑️ Knife Bin Collections

The week was successful across Chorley and South Ribble with plenty of engagement with the community.

Highlights of the week were....

🔪 Numeorus weapons handed in or seized. These included a dangerous Knuckle duster and a Zombie Knife.

✅ 6 Shops passed a knife Test Purchase.

❌ 2 shops failed a knife Test Purchase. (Lancashire County Council will publish the outcomes )

🔪 Knife and metal detection at local schools and youth zones.

🔍 A good number of stop searches were also conducted during the week

Remember this is daily business for us but it's our job to highlight what we do to the public during week.

If you know of any weapon crime offenders or problematic locations then send them over to us on

[email protected]

Together we will make your community a safer place to live!

Under 18? No sale! 🚨

As part of , officers in Chorley & South Ribble joined Lancashire Trading Standards and local young volunteers this week to carry out test purchases on knife sales.

The result?
✅ 6 out of 8 stores did the right thing and refused the sale
❌ 2 stores in Chorley failed and will be followed up

Keeping knives out of young hands is key to preventing harm and retailers play a vital role.

Read more here 👉 https://orlo.uk/Qvr0t

🚨 Sceptre 🚨

Officers in South Ribble have conducted targeted weapon sweeps of public spaces as part of ongoing efforts to tackle knife crime, focusing on the recovery of concealed or abandoned weapons. This work forms part of a wider initiative, which also includes engaging with the community—speaking with residents about our objectives and addressing any concerns they may have.

If you are worried about someone you know who may be carrying a knife, or if you have information about individuals involved in knife crime, we may be able to arrange a visit to discourage this behaviour. This can also provide an opportunity to offer advice and support aimed at preventing future offences.

You can do all this by emailing: [email protected]

A man has been charged with racially aggravated public offences in Leyland and Bamber Bridge.

We were called at 8.13pm on 11th May to Co-Op, Dunkirk Lane, Leyland, to a report a man was being abusive to customers outside the store.

Around 10.30pm on the same night, our officers were called to Haaris Grill, Station Road, Bamber Bridge, to a report a man was being abusive to staff.

A 35-year-old man was arrested at 10.46pm.

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Jake Allen, 35, of Robin Hey, Leyland, was charged with two offences of racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment and one offence of threats to kill.

He was further charged with assault on an emergency worker and criminal damage.

Allen appeared before Preston Magistrates Court on 13th May and will next appear in court on 10th June.

As legal proceedings are now active, we have turned off comments on this post