Pensioner drives 11 miles the wrong way down A23

A 73-year-old man drove the wrong way along the A23 towards Brighton for 11 miles before being stopped by police.

Vehicles heading north had to swerve to avoid the pensioner as he drove south along lane three of the northbound carriageway just before 10am today, Sussex Police said.

The man, from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, is believed to have driven his silver BMW the wrong way down a slip road at Hickstead before heading towards Brighton, a force spokesman said. Words: PA

Officers intercepted the vehicle to the north of the Mill Road roundabout in Brighton. The driver stopped his BMW after seeing a marked police car travelling towards him slowly at the head of the traffic.

Police are also investigating a report that a silver van hit a telegraph pole as it swerved to avoid the BMW.

There were no reports of any injuries, the spokesman said.

Sergeant Mark Baker said: "We are very grateful to all of the drivers and members of the public who stopped and called us to warn us about the man's driving and for their attentive driving that enabled them to avoid a collision.

"We were able to react quickly and thankfully no one was injured.

"The man is now being medically assessed and we will be making the DVLA aware of the incident."