THREE PSNI OFFICERS have been injured after a lorry rammed a police car involved in an anti-fuel smuggling operation along the border in Northern Ireland. 

The lorry in question then crossed over the border into the Republic with gardaí now alerted to the incident. 

The PSNI says that three officers were injured in the incident with one hospitalised as a precaution. 

The incident began when the PSNI and UK customs officials conducted a joint enforcement operation on a commercial site on Edenappa Road, Jonesborough in South Armagh. 

The location is less than a kilometre from the border and near the main Dublin to Belfast motorway. 

A 57-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including obstruction and fraudulent evasion of duty on fuel.

The PSNI says that during the course of the operation a Scania HGV tipper lorry deliberately and repeatedly rammed a PSNI vehicle as those in the lorry attempted to flee the area.

As well as the injuries to the officers, a police car was significantly damaged. 

“This was an appalling, reckless, dangerous and completely cowardly act. Using a heavy goods vehicle as a weapon, could easily have caused catastrophic injury or worse,” Superintendent Norman Haslett said this afternoon. 

“An investigation into this incident is now underway and we are liaising with our An Garda Siochana colleagues. We are particularly interested in locating the vehicle and the driver which rammed the police car. It was displaying the number plate LD08POP and crossed into the Republic of Ireland and will be bearing damage to the front driver’s side.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the PSNI directly or anonymously through Crimestoppers.