Dascham footage has been released of a ‘nutter’ driver who put lives in danger with a risky undertaking manoeuvre on the M56.

Harvey Michael Schofield, 53, was caught on an HGV driver’s dash-cam swooping into lane one to get past a tipper lorry on March 30 last year.

Chester Magistrates Court heard on February 22 that he then pulled back in front of the tipper truck in the outside lane before shaking his fist at the driver and slamming on his brakes.

The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Cheshire where a motorist has been prosecuted for dangerous driving as a result of dashcam footage.

The HGV driver said in a statement that he had been flashing his lights at the tipper to indicate it was all clear to pull back into lane one before Schofield’s Audi A7 hurtle into view.

The tipper driver, who has been driving lorries for 45 years, said in his own statement: “It could have been a completely different story if I hadn’t braked so quickly.

“I did think to myself ‘you nutter!’”

In his defence, the court heard that Schofield was a field engineer with an unblemished record until now and the under-taking manoeuvre had been “23 seconds of stupidity”.

He was given a 12 week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Schofield, of Turnstone Road, Offerton, Stockport, was also ordered to pay £620 court costs, as he had been convicted after trial, as well as a £115 victim surcharge.

He was banned from driving for 12 months and will have to take an extended re-test before being given back his license.

After the hearing, PC Liz Thompson from the Serious and Complex Collision Investigation Unit, Cheshire Police said: “Firstly I would like to thank the member of the public who submitted the footage, without their support this prosecution would not have been possible.

“The footage clearly showed that Schofield deliberately undertook the tipper truck, then for no apparent reason deliberately pulled out into the path of the vehicle and intentionally slammed on his brakes.

“Thankfully the driver of the truck was able to stop his vehicle in time, and did not collide with Schofield’s car. However, I have no doubt that had it not been for the drivers quick-thinking actions, there could have been a serious collision, and the lives of innocent motorists could have been put at risk.”

David Keane, police and crime commissioner for Cheshire, added: “Dashcam footage is being used more and more by police to crack down on bad driving and help save lives. It is one of the innovative solutions police can use to prosecute those who are driving dangerously to ensure their actions don’t lead to serious injury or loss of life in the future.

“I would encourage residents of Cheshire, who have captured evidence of people committing traffic offences, to submit it to Cheshire Constabulary to help reduce the number of serious incidents on our roads.”

Anyone looking to submit dashcam footage of incidents that have occurred on the Cheshire road network is urged to visit: https://www.cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/roads-and-vehicle-safety/submit-dashcam-footage/