A forecourt manager dressed as a Smurf was mown down by a petrol thief at the Sainsbury’s in Trinity Road, Bolton. Dan Walker was collecting money for Comic Relief on the forecourt last year when he saw a man putting the pump nozzle through the back window of a car to fill up containers.

Dan, dressed as a Smurf, stood in front of the car to stop the person driving away. However the thief – Ya-Amin Ghani – put his foot down and crashed into both Dan and a security worker.

The incident was caught on CCTV, which shows Ghani ploughing into two other cars and causing £3,000-worth of damage.

Talking to The Bolton News, Dan said: “I thought standing up to them was the right thing to do at the time. I did not expect him to drive at me when I stood in front of the car. He said he had the money and was going to get it, and I thought that was what he was doing. But he got in the car and the next thing I knew I was over the bonnet. I had adrenalin rushing so I chased after the car. I was just shocked that it actually happened. Who runs over a Smurf?”

Ghani was jailed for eight months at Bolton Crown Court after admitting making off without payment and dangerous driving.