Middle lane motorway hogger shamed on social media

Officers posted footage of the car on Twitter after following it on the M6 Toll in Cannock, Staffordshire at 11.35pm on Sunday, when there was no other traffic in the left hand lane.

The footage shows the car even move into the right hand lane after being flashed and overtaken by a Mercedes.

Central Motorway Police Group, which covers Staffordshire and West Midlands, wrote that middle lane hogging is “drivers’ biggest pet hate”.

The group went on: “The driver had been driving for just over a year and had even had extra tuition on motorway driving.

“It’s clear he didn’t pay attention. Driver reported for driving without due care and attention.

“He said he panicked, more likely it was to show the Mercedes driver, who flashed him and clearly tried to give lane advice after overtaking him, that he had no intention of using lane one.”

The motorist may be invited to attend a retraining course as an alternative to penalty points and a fine.

Press Association analysis shows as many as one in four drivers have attended a course since 2010.

No figures are believed to be kept for the number of drivers caught for middle lane hogging.

The offence is generally dealt with under careless driving laws, alongside tailgating and other offences.

A poll of 2,000 UK drivers commissioned by carmaker Hyundai last year found someone staying in the middle lane of a motorway is the 10th most common reason motorists swear when they are behind the wheel.