POLICE have urged drivers to think before they walk away from an accident after emergency service units from across Wiltshire were tied up needlessly at the weekend.

A BMW was badly damaged after careering off the road near Upton Lovell at around 8.30pm on Saturday.

Fears for the driver’s wellbeing sparked a large scale search operation involving paramedics, firefighters, police dog units, regular police patrols and even the police helicopter from Filton.

But it turned out the driver was safe and well at a friend’s house the whole time.

The tri-force roads policing unit tweeted: “THINK. If you leave a vehicle after a collision let us know you are safe. It could save time and valuable resources.”