POLICE officers have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion the theft of a motor vehicle after trying to drive a car the wrong way down the M11.

A spokesperson said: “We were alerted to the theft of a silver Land Rover in Bishop’s Stortford which then travelled into Essex.

Officers briefly followed the vehicle in the Harlow area before it began driving dangerously, going the wrong way around a roundabout and heading southbound on the northbound carriageway of the M11 at junction 7A.

Traffic on the motorway was temporarily stopped by officers and, with the support of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter, the driver was spotted decamping from the car and was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft,dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving under the influence of drink or drugs and possession of a Class B drug.

“He has been taken into custody”.

Chief Inspector Alan Blakesley said: “This kind of reckless driving could have been lethal.

“Thanks to information provided by various members of the public and the work of local officers and NPAS we were able to safely bring this dangerous incident to a conclusion and detain the suspect. 

“Our investigation into this incident is underway and we want to hear from anyone who may have information related to the incident or those that saw this vehicle, or have any dashcam footage of the driving.”

 Please get in touch citing incident number 626 of Tuesday 25 February.