The term "rust bucket" is somewhat over-used in the realm of cars which are past their best, but police in Crewe recently found a vehicle that could be the dictionary definition.

Officers spotted a car on a public road that was in an incredibly dangerous condition, with a battered body, no windows, lights, mirrors, tax or insurance.

Police saw the car drive on a main and road then onto a side street, before pulling it over. Officers reported the driver for having no insurance and driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. Not surprisingly, the police seized the vehicle.

Posting a photo of the car on Twitter, Police wrote "Stopped in @PoliceCrewe. We kid you not!!"

The penalty for driving without insurance alone is a £300 fixed penalty and 6 points on the offender’s licence.

The car in question was eventually identified as a Rover, after the chasis was checked. But the repainted blue and yellow machine bore little resemblance to a factory-fresh Rover.

The vehicle had been used for banger racing, which is a legal pursuit in the UK. However, such machines must be transported or trailered to and from racing venues, and must never be driven on a public road.

Banger racers are usually scrap cars which are driven around a circuit in the manner of regular motor sport racing, with the winner being the first to pass the chequered flag. Tracks are around 400m long and form an oval. The sport is popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, among other European countries.