A DRIVER stopped by police travelling at 96mph with smoke pouring from the bonnet argued that his car was safe to drive.

Officers from the Dorset Police No Excuse team stopped the Peugeot on the A35 near Poole and the driver told them: "Sorry we are late for work, it has an oil leak but it's ok to drive as the smoke disappears when you drive fast."

Checks also revealed the driver did not have a licence and the vehicle was seized on Friday June 5.

A spokesman for No Excuse said: "The driver of this Peugeot thought it was OK to drive 18 miles to work with an oil leak.

"This vehicle first came to our attention on the Holes Bay Road / A35 roundabout as smoke could be seen coming from the bonnet.

"We then witnessed it travelling at 96 mph towards Wareham. Why he thought that was a good idea is beyond us.

"The driver then showed us the engine covered in oil and the puddle on the floor.

"Again he then tried persuading us it was still OK to drive and he promised to take it to a garage as soon as possible to fix it."

Police said the driver complained about his car being seized, saying it costs too much money to collect.