A FORMER special constable has made an official complaint to the police after an officer ticked him off for driving with snow on his car roof.

John Padwick at first thought it was a joke when the policeman followed him into the Co-op car park in Faversham Road, Kennington, Ashford, and gave him a dressing-down.

The incident happened on Thursday, December 29, when the area had experienced heavy snowfalls.

But the plain-clothes officer told Mr Padwick, of Canterbury Road, Ashford, that he should remove all the snow from his car before driving as it had been billowing off the roof.

“I couldn’t believe it. I asked him if he was serious,” said the 52-year-old, who served in the police force for three years.

“I had brushed the car off and the windscreens, mirrors and windows were clear.

There was no snow on it apart from on the roof – and all the cars in the car park had snow on their roofs. I thought it was absolutely ridiculous.”

Mr Padwick, a retired sales manager, is a member of the League of Safe Drivers and an advanced driver.

“I used to drive thousands of miles a month up and down the country in all sorts of conditions and I have never been stopped,” he said.

A police spokesman said: “Our Kent Policing Standard states we will be professional, courteous and fair and we treat complaints such as Mr Padwick’s very seriously. All formal complaints made to us are investigated thoroughly.

“In dangerous weather conditions our prime concern is public safety and we would expect our officers to point out any potential hazards.

“Uncleared snow on the roof of a vehicle could obscure the windscreen and blow into the path of other vehicles or passers-by.

"At speed this would represent a significant hazard to those close by.”