A man who drove ten and a half miles on the wrong side of the A419 and A417 has been sentenced.

Derrick Ind, 81, from Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty at Swindon Magistrates Court on July 16 after driving a blue Ford Fiesta dangerously on the A419 and A417 on April 14.

Ind was pulled over by police officers just after 9pm after travelling 17km northbound on the southbound carriageway.

He said he was confused by roadworks and diversions, but officers said there were 15 locations along the route where he could have safely pulled over.

Ind, who has been driving since 1960 and has no points on his licence, was said to be healthy, not on any medication or showing signs of cognitive issues, but he panicked when his routine was disrupted.

Mr McCarthy, defending, told the court: “He’s extremely upset at what has happened. He’s angry at himself because he can’t work out why it’s happened.

“He has lost sleep since then and had nightmares.”

The Magistrate said it was a ‘horrendously serious incident’ and Ind was fined £2,000 with a surcharge of £800, has been disqualified from driving for one year and will have to take an extended retest to get his license back.