A TEENAGE driver has been banned after he was caught on camera with a 17-year-old girl riding on the roof of his car.

The girl has also been disqualified from driving following the incident in a car park in South Shields, Northumbria Police said.

A CCTV camera captured the moment the girl, who cannot be named, climbed onto the roof and lay face-down on 18-year-old Ryan McMillan's car as he drove around the Sundial car park in Sea Road at around 10pm on March 23. 

Northumbria Police said the girl was banned from the roads for a year for aiding or abetting dangerous driving and must re-sit her test.

McMillan, of Ashington, Northumberland, was sentenced to 240 hours of unpaid work for dangerous driving and disqualified for 18 months by magistrates in North Tyneside.

Pc Anthony French, of the force's road safety campaign Operation Dragoon, said: "Some people may find this behaviour funny but if you choose to get involved in this kind of foolish activity it is only a matter of time before you are involved in a serious collision.

"Motor vehicles are not toys and one slight mistake can lead to a fatal incident that will destroy lives forever.

"We are delighted to see that the magistrate has taken this case seriously and hope it acts as a warning to other young people who find it acceptable to mess around behind the wheel."