Motorist banned after driving the wrong way on the M11 motorway

AN impatient motorist has been hit with a lengthy ban after driving the wrong way on the M11.

On Friday, Cambridge Crown Court upheld an original conviction against the man who drove the wrong way on the M11 south of Cambridge after the motorway had been closed after an accident.

The man, from Saffron Walden, was banned from the wheel for 12 months, ordered to pay �700 costs and given 50 hours community service

In an attempt to beat queues caused by the accident further along the M11, the man turned his car around and drove north on the southbound hard shoulder near junction 10 on November 13, 2008.

Two traffic officers from the Highways Agency's outstation in Whittlesford directed him to stop, before reporting the incident to Cambridgeshire Police.

Operations manager for the Highways Agency in eastern England, Ian Jobson, said: "When road traffic collisions happen, Highways Agency traffic officers work alongside the emergency services to reduce further risk to public safety, so it's important for road users to follow their instructions.

"Driving the wrong way along a motorway is illegal, even when it is closed due to a road traffic collision.

"People caught up in an incident need to be patient and remain in their vehicles whilst our traffic officers get traffic moving as soon as it is safe to do so."

The earlier accident led to the southbound lanes and junction 10 entry slip being closed by the two traffic officers, whose powers under the Traffic Management Act 2004 include stopping traffic and closing roads where there's been an incident or accident.