A mum and newborn baby were left injured after a child threw a rock from a bridge over the M62. Police said the incident happened last Saturday (May 21) on the motorway near Rochdale.
A child threw a rock from a bridge over the carriageway, which landed on a vehicle with the mum and her baby inside, police said. Both were injured in the shocking incident. Officers are now urging parents to check where their children are after a recent spate of rock throwing incidents on motorways.
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The incidents have become a 'growing trend', police said. Those involved have been warned that they could be prosecuted and taken to court.
A post on Twitter this morning (May 26) from the GMP Rochdale account said: "PARENTS DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN WERE LAST SATURDAY! We are seeing a growing trend where children have been throwing items off the M62 footbridge that pass by Rochdale.
"A recent incident has occurred where one child has thrown a rock off the bridge, onto the motorway, hitting a vehicle carrying a mother and a new-born child, which has resulted in injuries. Behaving in this manner has a serious risk of causing severe injury or death and if anyone is identified as being an offender in this situation, they could face a prosecution with the result leading to convictions at court.
"It is imperative that parents discuss behaviour like this with their children to prevent further incidents from occurring."
Last weekend, the North West Motorway Police said they were called to 10 different reports of children and teenagers causing disturbances across the region's motorway network, with youngsters also allegedly climbing up motorway signs. On Sunday evening, North West Motorway Police posted a disturbing photograph of one of the large rocks that caused damage to unsuspecting car occupants.
Alongside the picture, an officer wrote: "Yet another incident relating to youths throwing bricks off bridges - another two vehicles damaged and occupants of vehicles covered in glass. This is the rock that was found by our Highways colleagues. We will deal accordingly if youths are found."
In an earlier tweet, on the same day and same account, a North West Motorway Police spokesperson said: "Over this weekend alone we have had 10 incidents involving children and teenagers on the network, climbing the signs and actually throwing bricks from bridges injuring a driver as it went through a windscreen. This is not acceptable. Parents do you know where your children are!"
