A motorist who drove the wrong way along the M23 for several miles has been banned from driving.
Neil Dean 58, of Headcorn Road, Smarden, Kent, was stopped near junction 9 early on the morning of July 29.
A member of the public had earlier reported seeing a white Ford Transit van going the wrong way up a slip road on the A23 at Patcham before it then turned around.
The officer spotted Dean in the vehicle described, heading into oncoming traffic on the motorway as Dean drove southbound on the northbound carriageway.
When Dean saw the blue flashing lights, he stopped in lane 4fourof the motorway, forcing other cars to change lane in order to avoid a head on collision.
He was initially arrested and charged with dangerous driving which he admitted in court, and he appeared for sentence at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on October 27.
The court imposed a one-year community order and disqualified Dean from driving for 18 months. He will also need to take an extended retest if he wishes to drive again.
The court also ordered Dean to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and eight rehabilitation sessions, and to pay £85 costs and a £95 surcharge.
PC Smith said:
“This is a good court result to take a dangerous driver off our roads.
“Dean’s driving put himself and other road users’ lives at risk by driving the wrong way along the M23 for nearly five miles.”
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