AN unmarked police car was nearly “sent into the central reservation” by an artic lorry overtaking.

Officers from the Dorset Police No Excuse team were in the Ringwood Road area of Bearcross when an artic lorry attempted to overtake a car by pulling into the outside lane.

A spokesperson for the No Excuse team said: “What he didn’t see was the unmarked police vehicle, nearly sending us into the central reservation, inches from its wheels.

“The artic lorry managed to just avoid us swinging back into the inside lane.

“The 30-year-old driver from Shepton Mallet received a ticket for driving without due care and attention.

“The driver was very apologetic, admitting there was no need for a vehicle of this size to be overtaking on this stretch of road when already travelling at 35-40mph, when actually he was going straight on at the roundabout towards Longham and needed to be back in the inside lane.

“We recommend a driver awareness course on this occasion.”