A driver, who was returning from a trip to see snow in Dover, stopped in the outside lane of the M20 after seeing a police car.

Two officers were following Anton Dennis's Vauxhall Corsa along the M20 at Sellinge and planned to pull the 20-year-old over to talk to him about hogging the fastlane.

But Canterbury Crown Court heard that “bizarrely”, Dennis just slowed down and then stunned the officers by stopping in the outside lane before getting out and walking towards the police vehicle!

Prosecutor Peter Alcock said that other cars on the motorway had to move to the inside lane to pass the two vehicles and he was ordered back inside and escorted off the M20 at Junction 10.

After being questioned about his odd behaviour, Dennis gave the name of his uncle but later admitted he had been the driver and had panicked when he saw the police car.

John Fitzgerald, defending, said Dennis and a pal had travelled to Dover in February last year after hearing it was snowing.

“He wanted to see the snow and was returning to his home in Lewisham at 5am. He had been staying in the outside lane at 70 mph when he overtook the police car.

“It was a pretty stupid thing to have done, but luckily traffic at that time of the morning was light and there was no-one hurt.”

Dennis was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.

He was also banned from driving for a year, ordered to take a test before driving again and given a three-month home curfew order.