Police have hit back at a county court judgement which placed "100 per cent" of the blame for a crash that killed a 29-year-old mother on the constable driving the squad car involved.

Barmaid Rachel Cheesewright, from Woodchurch, near Ashford, died in October 2005 after a police Skoda smashed into her Ford Fiesta on the A28 at Bethersden. Kent Police were found wholly liable on Tuesday.

Sitting at Canterbury county court, Judge Jonathan Simpkiss found that PC William Purse was negligent because he did not have the siren sounding and had come around a bend too fast.

'Police to blame' for young mother's death crash >>>

However, a statement from Kent Police argued that the judgement "flies in the face of all previous detailed examinations of the facts and has implications for all emergency services".

Ian Pointon, chairman of the Kent Police Federation said: "Constable Purse, an advanced police driver, was responding to an emergency call in a vehicle equipped to do so.

"In reality, Miss Cheesewright pulled from a side road onto the main A28 into the path of a police vehicle displaying headlights and blue lights. It was dark and these would have been clearly visible.

"Consequently, with nearly 24 years of policing experience, I find it difficult to comprehend how Constable Purse is wholly liable."

He said he was "perplexed" by the county court judgement, adding: "The Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Crown Prosecution Service and the inquest have all concluded this was a tragic accident and that Constable Purse was not at fault.

"When members of the public call for urgent assistance, whether that is fire, ambulance or police, they expect a speedy response. I sincerely hope this judgement won’t result in emergency vehicles keeping to the speed limits lest someone pulls out in front of them."

He concluded: "I fully understand the desire to find someone to blame and my thoughts are with both the Cheesewright family and the officers involved in this tragic accident."