A driver who was filmed leaning back in the passenger seat while his car was in autopilot on the M1 has been banned from the road.

Bhavesh Patel, 39, was spotted by a passing car as he sat back in his white Tesla S60 while travelling along the motorway at J8 near Hemel Hempstead on May 21 last year.

Patel, of Alfreton Road, Nottingham, later admitted to police officers that what he did was "silly" but said the car was capable of "something amazing" and he was the "unlucky one caught".

A court heard that in May last year, Patel decided to switch his Tesla, while travelling along a congested stretch of the M1 northbound, into autopilot mode, before sliding onto the front passenger seat and appearing to relax by putting his hands behind his head.

It is believed the car continued to travel at a speed of 40mph.

Credit: Hertfordshire Constabulary

A witness in the passenger seat of a passing car saw Patel and began filming him before putting the video on social media. The footage was soon reported to police and a Notice of Intended Prosecution was then sent to Patel in the post.

He was later interviewed by officers at Stevenage police station.

A Tesla engineer has said the car should only be used in autopilot mode with a "fully attentive driver".

Autopilot mode includes traffic-aware cruise control (TACC) which assists with acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle whilst Autosteer provides assistance with steering of the vehicle.

At St Albans Crown Court on April 20, Patel, who had owned the Tesla for five months, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

He has been banned from driving for 18 months, given 100 hours unpaid work, ordered to carry out 10 days rehabilitation, and pay £1,800 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Investigating officer PC Kirk Caldicutt, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit, said: “What Patel did was grossly irresponsible and could have easily ended in tragedy. He not only endangered his own life but the lives of other innocent people using the motorway on that day.

“This case should serve as an example to all drivers who have access to autopilot controls and have thought about attempting something similar."