Police warning after car spotted carrying sofa on its roof on A38

How not to transport

Startled motorists couldn't believe their eyes as this pair of bungling furniture removal men motored along the A38.

The pair had two large sofas perched precariously on the roof of their small car with the passenger apparently using his left hand to cling on to them.

The car did not have a roof rack and it looked like they had simply tied the settees on to a blue sheet covering the roof of the car.

Motorists watched the pair drive along two major dual carriageways before coming off at Exeter, on Sunday afternoon.

One driver did a double take and said: I saw this car on the Devon Expressway and then it turned on to the A30 road before coming off at the Exeter slip.

I couldn't believe how stupid they were ...totally barmy. The car was only doing around 30mph. I don't think they could risk going any faster because the settees would have fallen off.

The cushions were on the back seat.

The driver added: They were getting some strange looks but I was amazed they were not stopped by the police.

It was ridiculously dangerous. They were on very busy 70mph roads and they would have caused a potentially lethal crash if those sofas had slipped off the roof into the carriageways. There was no roof rack, just a sheet protecting the car roof from being scratched.

The head of Devon and Cornwall police's traffic department, Inspector Richard Pryce, said: Drivers who decide to use entirely unsuitable vehicles to carry large loads are nothing short of irresponsible and present a danger to other road users.

The load may be tied on to the vehicle but the vehicle itself is entirely inappropriate for carrying such large pieces of furniture.

If the vehicle had to brake suddenly or swerve to avoid something, then the load would without doubt become detached from the vehicle.

This could cause a potentially serious incident or injury should a collision occur.

We will be making contact with the driver of this vehicle.

They were held there with a few stands of rope and the bloke in the passenger seat who had his hand on them all the way.