A FORMER police officer has branded driving standards in Bradford "absolutely deplorable".

Ben Pearson, who appeared on the Channel 5 television show Police Interceptors during his time on duty, has spoken about the "horrendous" driving in Bradford on his YouTube channel.

The ex-police officer says he very rarely drives into Bradford now, but claimed standards have worsened over the years.

He said: “I can’t understand the calibre of driving in Bradford, I can’t understand how it’s got this bad.

“There’s people triple parked, there’s people dumping their cars literally when I say on the pavement, I mean driving on the pavement nose into the shop, just getting out with the engine running.”

He claims to have seen motorists driving through red lights, using the speed limit as a minimum marker and failing to stop at pedestrian crossings.

He said: “No one cares about red lights, no one cares about speed limits, no one cares about overtaking, undertaking and one gentleman drove through a pedestrian area when I was sat waiting, over the curb through the pedestrian area and it was absolutely like one of these things that you think, am I actually witnessing this?”

The video ends with Pearson urging people to drive safely "between the letters of the law" and to learn the highway code.

He said: “Learn and drive how you did on your driving test and don’t put people’s lives at risk.”

People can watch the full video on his official YouTube channel, 'Ben Pearson'.

Ben Pearson, from Bingley, retired from West Yorkshire Police when the trauma of witnessing fatalities in his job and bereavement in his personal life took over. 

He was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety.

He has spoken openly about his struggles and is determined to make sure no one else suffers in the way he did.

Earlier in 2023, the retired traffic cop released his third book, '1965 Code: 11'.

It is the follow-up to best sellers 'Handcuffed Emotions' and 'Hotel Tango 23'.

'1965: Code 11' is the final book in the trilogy, where he is fully closing the chapter on being in the police force. 

Ben previously said: “I have driven in the fastest, most dangerous pursuits, arrested murderers, rapists, and high-profile burglars.

"My collar number, which I was identified as, was 1965 and Code 11 means ‘off duty.’

“This the closing of a chapter in my life as a traffic cop but it marks the start of my new life as a TV presenter, public speaker and YouTuber.”