A learner driver who had decided to slap on P-plates before passing his test has been caught by police in Swindon.

Officers from Wiltshire Police's Road Policing Unit were out patrolling the streets of Swindon on Wednesday, July 7, when they saw a red Clio showing P-plates pass them and "knew something wasn't right".

The car was pulled over on Faringdon Road, opposite the Great Western Railway Park, and after speaking to the driver and passenger of the Clio, it became clear that the driver was having a driving lesson.

This driver may have been slightly over-optimistic...This driver may have been slightly over-optimistic... (Image: Wiltshire Police)

Although the passenger denied that this was true, the driver was unable to produce a valid license and the car was subsequently seized.

"The driver was having a driving lesson and somehow got ahead of himself or forgot that P is for passed," said a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police.