It's like a scene from Laurel and Hardy: a prison van being driven around with the back door wide open.

You can almost hear Ollie turning to Stan saying: "That's another fine mess you've gotten me into".

The GEOAmey vehicle was captured on video with its door flapping as it was being driven around the Sans Pareil roundabout in Frindsbury near Strood.

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Kris Wilkes filmed the scene, posting a 13-second clip online with the caption: "Security is always top priority in Medway!"

It has been shared on Facebook and YouTube.

Video: The prison van driving with its back door open

But thankfully there weren't gangs of jailbirds dressed in stripy prison uniform darting out of the vehicle.

It's emerged the van was in fact, empty and on its way for repairs, but astonished motorists weren’t to know.

A GEOAmey spokesman said: "We are aware of a video of an unsecured door on a GEOAmey prisoner transport van on the A228 on October 15.

"The van was actually empty and had already been taken out of action."