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Driver drove wrong way on motorway

From the Wiltshire Times, first published Friday 17th Feb 2006.

A MOTORIST caused "seven miles of chaos" by driving the wrong way along the M4 motorway on Saturday evening.

At 9.30pm, Wiltshire Police were alerted to a Renault Scenic heading east in the fast lane of the westbound carriageway. Officers followed the driver from the other side of the road, spotting several cars that swerved or collided with the central reservation to avoid a head-on smash.

The man, who was driving at around 80mph, was stopped near the Membury services.

The patrol car pulled ahead and one of the officers jumped out and managed to stop the driver. He was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving while a woman passenger was taken to Great Western Hospital, Swindon, in "an extreme state of shock".

Pc Glen Powell, of Wiltshire traffic police, said: "How no serious casualty or fatality has occurred we will never know. "Seven miles of chaos and I expect several shocked drivers were the end result. "Luckily, being a Saturday night and fairly light traffic this has come to a safe conclusion."

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