A member of the Wheatsheaf staff was almost the victim of an attempted car jacking on Thursday night. Pub manager Gemma was driving home on the back road from Islington to the industrial estate when she was flagged down by two men. One of the men held up a mobile phone which displayed a map. The other remained on the side of the road in the trees. The man with the phone told Gemma he wanted to talk to her. Wisely, she locked the doors and refused to engage with him. As Gemma tried to drive off he repeatedly jumped in her way trying to block the road. In the end she forced the car past him and made her escape.

Had she opened the door it’s likely the men would have forced her out and taken the vehicle – or worse.

Gemma is obviously very shaken. She will be speaking to the police later on Friday. An update will be posted if there are any developments.

Meanwhile the incident has led to an outpouring of concerned comments on the village Facebook page. Local resident Allan Jackson also offered some very good advice. He wrote,

“The trick they use is to get you to stop and get out for what you believe is good intentions. They may also through eggs at you windscreen or a person may lie at the side of the road pretending to be injured but they want you out. Lock your doors and stay inside is the key in that situation. If they have forced you to stop dial the police immediately or if you do not feel safe to leave your vehicle“.