'Could have lost my licence' - Cleadon driver drops police eye test 'error' complaint
A Cleadon driver who feels he could have lost his licence due to ‘a police eye test error’ has called a truce with the force.
A South Tyneside campaigner has called a truce with police over a road accident investigation which focussed on his eyesight.
Colin Campbell says he has agreed not to pursue a complaint he lodged with the Northumbria force about its probe into a minor traffic accident he was involved in.
In return, Mr Campbell, chief executive of South Tyneside Landlords Association, has had the inquiry against him shelved and he will face no further action.
But he is still calling on police chiefs to improve their procedures to bring more clarity around how eyesight checks are done after road incidents.
‘Minor’ incident causes major headache for driver
Mr Campbell, who is in his 70s, admits his campervan clipped wing mirrors with a passing van on a country road at Rothbury, Northumberland, on Saturday, August 2.
He continued on his way and did not file a report with police – believing both drivers were equally responsible – while the other motorist did, prompting the probe.
Officers came calling at his Cleadon home two months later and requested he step outside to take an eyesight test over a distance of 20m.
He claims the officer inaccurately measured out 30m in the street – an alleged blunder he claims could have cost him his driving licence, had he failed the check.
Mr Campbell said he has now been contacted by an inspector, and the matter has been settled - but he believes procedures should be improved.
He said: “I’ve had a phone call and I have been informed that the investigation has been closed.
“The inspector told me that it was the other driver who had made the complaint – he must have had a camera fitted in his vehicle.
“I do still find it strange that the police didn’t get around to informing me about this complaint until mid-October, when they came to my home.
“The inspector said an eyesight check would usually be done immediately at the site of an accident.
“When that can’t happen, as in this case, I really do think there should be a specific testing centre where you are required to attend, rather than at random in a street.
“That way, you would be sure that the test was being done over a correct and exact 20m and there would be no room for doubt.
“I still believe the officer measured out the incorrect distance – I could have had my driving licence taken away.
“The inspector asked me to close the complaint, and I told him I thought that was the best way forward.
“It’s all been a very weird one, and I still can’t understand why I’ve never had anything in writing from the police.”
Northumbria Police statement on the issue
Northumbria Police is understood to have been following national guidelines around sight tests and would not be drawn on any changes to its procedures.
It previously said it had received a report that a campervan had collided with a van, and that an investigation was underway.
In a new statement, a spokesperson said only: “We can confirm an investigation that was launched following a report of a collision on Hawthorn Terrace in Rothbury on August 2, 2025, has now been closed.”