“THE net is closing in.” That’s the message from detectives hunting the driver of the car who fled the scene of the horrific collision which killed Ringwood teenager Jade Clark last month.

Detectives have now inspected more than 800 vehicles with a £5,000 reward for information likely to be doubled to around £10,000 thanks to the generosity of Ringwood-based businesses.

As part of their relentless investigation to find the driver, The Daily Echo was invited out with Dorset Police as they worked to eliminate Volvo XC90s from their extensive list of vehicles.

Daily visits are being paid to owners of Volvo XC90s across the country with officers more than halfway through their compiled database.

Yesterday, police inspected three vehicles – two near Salisbury and one in Sixpenny Handley – as well as pulling two over for inspection at the side of a road.

None of them proved to be the suspected vehicle, but all the inspections involved a detailed check of the front of the vehicle, including underneath and the sides as well as a chat with the driver about where they were on the night of Jade’s death.

PC Mark Palmer who, along with colleague PC Sarah Jones was inspecting the cars, described the investigation as the biggest he has undertaken.

Sergeant Stuart Pitman, deputy senior investigating officer said in a direct appeal to the driver: “We will find you; the net is closing in.”

He added: “These officers won’t rest until we find the driver.

 

“This collision has shocked officers, which is why we are so committed to finding this person.

“The work we are doing is painstaking but all we need is that one call.

“This person has made an error of judgement.

“They may be frightened about coming forward and scared about the repercussions, but it is only going to get worse for them.”

Sergeant Pitman said the appeal had already gone national as it had featured on This Morning last week, with further national coverage also being sought.

Foreign vehicles have also been included in the search with police reiterating that the driver of the XC90 involved in the crash would definitely be aware they had struck the teenager.

Anyone with information should contact 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111