POLICE officers used during Top Gear filming in Dorset last month were paid for by the BBC, it has been confirmed.

Three officers worked for around three hours when the stars of the hit TV show blew up a car on a Poole sliproad.

Police were involved in setting up a rolling roadblock to “provide a safe working environment for the Top Gear production team and to maintain the safety of road users throughout the filming.”

In response to a Freedom of Information request, Dorset Police confirmed the officers were paid for under the “hired officers” scheme in the same way as they are hired for football duties, census work or abnormal load movement.

Filming took place on a sliproad of the A35 Upton bypass.