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The tractor was stopped by motorway police just outside Birmingham on Monday morning as the driver decided to join the rush hour traffic on the M6 between Junction 6 at Spaghetti Junction and Junction 5 at Castle Bromwich.

Police tweeted that the tractor was not stolen but the driver was unaware he was not allowed to travel on the motorway.

Insp Mark Watkins said: “To see such a vehicle travelling on such a busy stretch of road was both unusual and quite a surprise for the patrol officers.

“Tractors are one of the various prohibited vehicles on the motorway network – a fact that the driver seemed to be unaware of.

“We received a few calls into us at around the time that we stopped the tractor from concerned motorists who were both shocked and worried that the slow nature of the tractor could create a hazard to other road users.”

On stopping the tractor, officers found the driver to be uninsured and it was subsequently seized by police.

The driver was given police advice regarding the laws of the road and taken from the motorway network.

Insp Watkins added: “It was unclear where the driver was taking the tractor to and how far he was planning to travel along the network for, but either way taking the tractor onto the motorway posed a risk to himself and others, whilst breaking the law.

“The driver was left to make his own way home – minus his expensive tractor.

Source PA.