Cumbria Police appeal after Lazonby woman followed by van

Natalie Graham was driving home to the Lazonby area alone from Carlisle on Sunday evening when she noticed she was being followed by a black transit van.

The vehicle stayed close to Natalie’s car and flashed its lights repeatedly at her, seemingly in an attempt to get her to pull over.

She said: “It wasn’t until I got on to a country road they flashed lights at me and tailgated to get me to stop.

“This went on for about 20 minutes, they still followed me into my housing estate.

“I’m usually quite strong, I’m good at dealing with situations but I was genuinely terrified. I cried when I got home, and I don’t cry a lot.

“I’ve got two young kids, and it’s the thought of if I didn’t get home. I was just thankful I made it in one piece.”

Natalie’s partner went out to look for the van, but it had disappeared.

She said she wanted to speak out to make sure other people knew what to do in the same situation.

A police officer must be wearing uniform to carry out a stop when in an unmarked car. Police advise that if you are unsure the vehicle is a police car, you should drive to the next well-lit public place, such as a petrol station, before stopping.

Natalie added: “You don’t have to stop if you don’t feel safe to do so.

“I’ve spoken to some of my female friends and they all said they would have stopped.

“I won’t let this ordeal stop me from living my life, but it does make you more vigilant and wary of your surroundings even when you feel you’re in a safe place.”

Cumbria Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident. A spokeswoman for the force said: “Police were contacted on March 21 to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the area of Lazonby.

“It was reported that at around 8pm a Ford Transit van was tailgating and flashing its lights at another motorist on the A6, near High Hesket and continued into Lazonby before leaving the area.

“Anyone with information can contact police on 101, quoting incident number 237 of 21 March.”