A VAN was first off the motorway after a serious crash, but not with the driver in it.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were dealing with a major road traffic collision on the M62 yesterday.

The driver of a white van decided he "didn't want to wait" and moved down the hard shoulder to try escape the queues.

Police stopped the vehicle in its tracks and discovered the man behind the wheel was actually disqualified from driving and was uninsured.

Officers seized the van and reported the driver to court, as a result.

A spokesperson for the RPU said: "The driver of this van didn’t want to wait whilst officers dealt with a serious RTC so travelled down the hard-shoulder.

"Turns out he was uninsured and disqualified from driving.

"The van was the first off the motorway, just not with him in it.

"Driver reported to court."