A FAMILY'S personal belongings were left strewn across the carriageway after a dangerous driver cut a caravan in half – to use as a makeshift trailer.

The A1 was brought to a standstill near Morpeth earlier this month after a huge haul of household items – including a washing machine – were scattered across the road.

Officers were called to the scene shortly before 11pm on July 8 following a report that a trailer had overturned, but it quickly became apparent that there was more to the incident than met the eye.

It transpired that the driver of a Land Rover Freelander was towing a homemade trailer which he had made by cutting the top off a caravan.

Thankfully nobody was injured, but the road was blocked for a number of hours as the caravan contents were recovered from the carriageway.

The driver will now be reported for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition and having an invalid licence, with the 12-month period that his Isle of Man licence permitted him to drive on UK roads having expired.

Chief Inspector Mick Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an incredibly serious incident that could have caused fatalities on our roads.

“While the driver may not have intended to endanger the lives of other road users, there’s no question that this was the case after turning a caravan into a trailer which was clearly unsafe to be towed.

“Once it overturned, a huge amount of possessions were strewn across a busy carriageway in dark conditions. It is nothing short of sheer luck that nobody was injured.

“The driver will now be reported for these offences and the Freelander has been seized – and we hope this incident offers an important reminder to everyone about the potential dangers of towing unstable and unsafe loads.

“We will continue to do all we can to make our roads as safe as possible and would ask anybody who sees anybody driving in a dangerous manner to report it to us.”

More information about road safety can be found on the Northumbria Police website, where you can also report incidents to us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page and share dashcam footage.