November 2, 2017 11.53 am This story is over 75 months old

‘Sorry Lincoln’: Guy Martin will not drive WWI tank down High Street

Guy will not be coming to Lincoln.

Lincolnshire daredevil Guy Martin will not be visiting the city as planned on Remembrance Day.

As previously reported, the road racer planned to take a slow route through Lincoln on November 11 by travelling down the High Street in a WW1 tank.

Plans have however ground to a halt due to health and safety fears.

The replica mark IV British tank will feature in Guy’s latest TV documentary for Channel 4, however now it is believed the filming will take place in France instead.

The documentary will look at the development of the machines, with the WW1 tank having strong roots in Lincoln.

Tom Norton from North One TV, which produces content for Channel 4, said: “Following meetings with the local council and the emergency services, we have come to the difficult decision that it will not be possible to bring Guy’s tank to Lincoln city centre as part of our upcoming Channel 4 programme.

“Lincoln was Guy’s number one choice and much effort was put in on both sides trying to bring the tank to his home county but ultimately public safety has to be our number one priority and after meeting with the police it was decided that the proposed location was simply too challenging to guarantee that the activity wouldn’t put members of the public at risk.

“We hope that at some point the tank will be able to make a visit to Lincoln and we are committed to working with Guy to produce a fantastic show that celebrates Lincoln and the hugely important role it played in the history of the tank.”

Simon Colburn, Assistant Director for Health and Environmental Services said: “We were very keen to bring Guy to Lincoln and did everything we could to make it happen. It would have been very positive for the city.

“City of Lincoln Council met with North One Television on several occasions to walk through the proposed route of the tank, and even went as far as planning the timeline for the morning of Saturday, November 11.

“At The Lincoln Safety Advisory Group meeting it was decided that the plan could not proceed safely in its current form and that changes would need to be made.

“It was then left with North One Television to revise their plans, and they decided not proceed with filming.

“City of Lincoln Council has remained supportive of this project throughout, and welcome Guy Martin to film in the city at any time in the future.”