Reports that Cambridgeshire police were investigating an incident in which a mum and her children were splashed by a passing motorist have been “blown out of all proportion”, police and crime commissioner Jason Ablewhite has said.

Stories about the incident in St Ives made national headlines, some of which were critical of the police for using valuable resources on carrying out an investigation into a minor offence.

But Mr Ablewhite said the incident had not been recorded as a crime and followed a social media message asking drivers to be considerate towards pedestrians in wet weather.

“This flows from a social media message asking people to consider pedestrians when driving in wet conditions,” Mr Ablewhite said.

“It was never raised as a crime and is not being pursued further.”

Mr Ablewhite added: “It is one of the many examples where a social media post is exaggerated and blown out of all proportion.”

The incident happened near the junction of Pig Lane and Greengarth on January 4 when the mum and two children were soaked by a passing motorist who went through a 20ft long puddle, spraying them with water.