A SERIOUS accident was narrowly averted when police stopped a man driving the wrong way down the motorway in North Yorkshire.

Police found the driver travelling south on the north-bound carriageway of the A1M near Thirsk last night (Thursday, June 18) after they were alerted by worried members of the public.

North Yorkshire’s Road Policing Group managed to pull him over. The 35-year-old failed a breath test and was arrested for drink driving.

Traffic Sergeant Paul Cording tweeted: “The more I think about this, the more I think how different the outcome could have been if not located quickly.”