Redcar and Cleveland Councillor says sorry after crash

Chris Jones, who represents the West Dyke ward in Redcar for the Liberal Democrats, struck a wheelie bin with his car while attempting to manoeuvre past a council refuse truck while on his way to work.

As a result a council worker at the scene alleged he had received an injury as he still had hold of the bin.

Cllr Jones said he believed it to be the man’s hand, although it was initially reported as his leg.

The councillor then left the area, but the matter was reported to police who began investigating as to whether a criminal offence had been committed.

Following the incident in Laburnum Road, Redcar, on September 10 last year, Cllr Jones’ name was circulated on social media in relation to the events which occurred, which he suggested was an attempt by political opponents to besmirch him and spread false information.

He said he was contacted by police while on holiday and attended a police station voluntarily a month later where he was interviewed.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said a 51-year-old man had subsequently accepted an “out of court disposal” in the form of a driving safety course.

Out of court disposals are a method of resolving investigations with no further action being taken where an offence is deemed low-level and the perpetrator admits their involvement.

Cllr Jones said it was an “unfortunate incident”, adding: “I regret I may have briefly acted out of character for which I apologise if my actions caused any distress.”

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) at the time he had been travelling to an early morning meeting in Hartlepool and only “nudged” the empty bin, causing it to fall over, and initially did not believe the operative had been injured in any way.

He conceded there had been a verbal altercation between him and the refuse worker, but said the police concluded it was a minor traffic misdemeanour which fell into the driving without due care and attention category.

Cllr Jones said: “I have been a councillor for ten years and have put a lot of effort in and I don’t want a four minute long incident to paint a picture that is not a true representation of the person I am.”

Redcar and Cleveland Council previously confirmed it was conducting its own investigation into an employee who reported being injured and had supplied information to the police.

Cllr Jones has also been made subject of a council code of conduct complaint,  which was discussed at a behind closed doors meeting of an assessment sub-committee last year and which was adjourned for further inquiries to be made.

He continues to serve as a Lib Dem councillor and has also been chairing the council’s growth scrutiny committee.

Outside of the local authority, Councillor Jones has previously been both a police and crime commissioner candidate and stood as a prospective Parliamentary candidate in Redcar during the General Election in 2024.