Norfolk Constabulary will launch an investigation after three police cars crashed during a training exercise.

Eastern Daily Press: Inspector Jonathan Chapman at the scene of the accident involving three police vehicles at Filby where two people were injured. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYInspector Jonathan Chapman at the scene of the accident involving three police vehicles at Filby where two people were injured. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2019)

Two marked police cars and one unmarked vehicle were involved in the collision, which happened on the A1064 Main Road at Filby about 10am on Thursday morning.

The road was closed for three hours and two police officers were taken to James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston after suffering serious but not life threatening injuries.

Speaking at the scene, Insp Jonathan Chapman from the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team (NSRAPT) said there would be an investigation into what went wrong.

Insp Chapman said: "It is crucial to the role that they get experience of real life environments and that is what we were doing today to give them that training.

"They would have been moving within the speed limit.

"They would have been cognisant of speed restrictions and road safety.

"The officers would have implemented tactics and as a result of that a collision has occurred."

He said there would have been two people in each vehicle.

"Training in the public arena is something we would seek to achieve because it creates real environments for our officers," Insp Chapman added.

"The frequency of it depends on what we are doing at the time.

"It is not something we are doing all the time. It can be on occasions that it warrants it.

"We will conduct an investigation into what has happened as there would be with any other collision, and quite rightly so."

People living in Main Road, Filby, were brought out of their homes by the screech of brakes and smash of cars.

Jason Abel said it looked to him as if the police had stopped someone or something had gone wrong.

It is understood the unmarked black vehicle crashed into the back of one of the marked vehicles.

"It wasn't a big smash or at high speed. It was a quick screech and a bang. I thought it was just a shunt. Then everybody else turned up.

"It all happens here, last year we got a van in the pond.

The collision happened on a straight stretch of road just after a bend.

"Speeding is a big problem, especially in the early hours when people are going to work they get up to 60/70 miles an hour."