The tractor was blocked by a road roller and a loader, after which the police intervened.
A bizarre incident has been reported in the Polish city of Gliwice, where a 60-year-old man used a tractor to destroy nearly 200 metres of newly laid asphalt. According to Polish agricultural news portal Farmer.pl, citing police and local authorities, the damage could amount to as much as 400,000 Polish zlotys, or around €90,000. Police in Gliwice confirmed that the man was arrested after allegedly using a plough attached to his tractor to deliberately damage the newly paved road.
Tractor driven onto newly paved road
The incident took place on August 7 on Rybacka Street in Gliwice. According to Polish police, the man drove his Ursus tractor onto a section of road where construction work had just been completed.
A plough was attached to the tractor, and the driver lowered it onto the road surface. Instead of leaving the construction site, he continued along the road, ripping up the fresh asphalt.
In the process, almost 200 metres of the newly paved road were damaged. Police were called to the scene and found the 60-year-old behind the wheel of the tractor.
He claimed the road belonged to him
The man’s explanation for his actions made the incident even more unusual.
According to police, he claimed that he was the owner of the road and that the construction work being carried out there was illegal.
Police said the man also indicated that he intended to damage the road again once officers had left the scene. Workers therefore took additional measures to prevent him from continuing.
The tractor was eventually blocked using a road roller and a loader, preventing the man from driving away. Police then detained him and took him into custody.
Officers also determined that the man was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Tractor was not insured
Police carried out additional checks on the Ursus tractor after the man’s arrest.
They discovered that the vehicle did not have the legally required third-party liability insurance. The tractor was subsequently towed to a police impound lot while the investigation continued.
The lack of insurance added another issue to an already unusual case involving extensive damage to public infrastructure.
Damage could reach hundreds of thousands of zlotys
The most significant consequence of the incident is the cost of repairing the damaged road.
According to Farmer.pl, the initial estimate put the potential damage at around 400,000 Polish zlotys, equivalent to more than €90,000 depending on the exchange rate.
However, Polish police later gave a different figure, estimating the damage at approximately 300,000 zlotys. The final amount has yet to be established.
The high cost is largely due to the fact that the asphalt had only just been laid. Repairing the road will require additional construction work, including removing the damaged surface and repaving the affected section.
Case now in the hands of prosecutors
Following his arrest, legal proceedings were initiated against the 60-year-old man. The case has been handed over to the relevant authorities, which will determine the full circumstances of the incident and the final amount of the damage.
The court will ultimately decide whether the man is criminally responsible for destroying the road.
The unusual incident in Gliwice began as an apparent dispute over road construction but quickly escalated into a costly confrontation. Instead of challenging the roadworks through the appropriate legal channels, the man allegedly chose a far more drastic solution — driving his tractor and plough across freshly laid asphalt and leaving behind almost 200 metres of damaged road.
Photo: glivice.policja
