'How did the driver get in?'

Police defend Liverpool victory parade operation as local man held on suspicion of attempted murder and drug-driving

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN, ALEX ROSS

Police have “a lot of questions to answer” after a car is believed to have tailgated an ambulance through a roadblock at Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade and ploughed into a crowd of fans, injuring 65 people.

A top security expert has warned that the horrifying incident should never have happened as officials faced tough questions about safety measures at Monday’s event, which saw up to 1 million fans flock to the city’s streets.

A 53-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and drug driving was still being quizzed by police last night as police scoured CCTV to work out how the car was able to breach road closures.

Eleven people remain in hospital after a Ford Galaxy struck fans on Water Street, off the main parade route on The Strand, at around 6pm, leaving some trapped under the vehicle.

Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said there was a roadblock in place but it was temporarily lifted for an ambulance to reach a man suffering a suspected heart attack.

The people carrier is believed to have followed it inside the perimeter and onto the packed street as fans made their way to catch trains, buses and taxis home.

A security expert said the horrifying incident “could easily have been prevented” and questioned why enhanced measures, such as anti-vehicle security barriers, were not in place.

The road is understood to have been blocked by a flatbed truck as part of council-run rolling road closures.

Lee Doddridge, who has trained the UK’s counterterrorism security advisers at the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and planned major events including the Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010, told The Independent: