A ‘track invader’ at the Cromwell races last weekend was lucky to not miss his wedding back in Melbourne, after being escorted off the grounds by police.

Alexandra Police Senior Constable Graham Perkins said the groom was attending his stag do in Cromwell and decided to enter the racing track, putting himself at risk.

He was given a pre-charge warning for his behaviour and was arrested for disorderly behaviour and pitch invasion, but was lucky to be released in time for his trip home the next day.

“He was given a good wind up and police put the fear of God into him, threatening to hold him in custody for two weeks because of what he had done,” Snr Const Perkins said.

Behaviour at the races was otherwise generally good and police noted a lot of people left early because of the heat.

A duty manager at a Cromwell hotel was charged with drink driving the same weekend after a driving complaint in the Cromwell Gorge.

Police pulled over the 36-year-old man in Barry Ave and discovered he had an excess breath alcohol reading of 859mcg.

Road patrols on the Cromwell-Tarras highway during the weekend found many people speeding, including a car load of English cricket supporters dressed as the ‘Barmy Army’ on their way to Queenstown.

Snr Const Perkins said the group were wearing Pith helmets and safari suits.

Investigations are ongoing after an elderly woman crashed her vehicle into the 70 km/hr speeding sign on the northern entrance to Alexandra last Friday.

The woman crossed the centre line heading towards Clyde and narrowly avoided a large truck coming in the other direction, before taking out the sign and pole.

Snr Constable Perkins said blood samples were requested from Dunstan Hospital to check for the presence of alcohol, after the woman had to be cut from her vehicle.

Ranfurly police located a motorcycle driver who evaded officers recently, speeding away over the Ida Valley Road at 250 km/hr.

The rural policing team managed to locate the rider after enquiries were made to identify his motorcycle, and his bike has been impounded.  

He would also be charged with dangerous driving and instantly lost his licence.

A search warrant was used on an Omakau property where officers removed two firearms, a pistol and ammunition, after a breach of protection order.

A female was also arrested on Marslin Street after a search warrant located cannabis plants growing for personal use. 

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