A motorist has been reported for "driving in a dangerous condition" after only bothering to de-ice a small section of his van's windscreen.

The driver was reported on suspicion of driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition by a roads policing officer in Essex on Thursday night.

The police officer witnessed him pulling into a fuel station in Harlow after only bothering to de-ice a very small section of his van's windscreen.

Echo: The 'clutter' in the vanThe 'clutter' in the van (Image: Essex Police)

In addition to a "dangerously reduced view", police say there was also a "great deal" of loose clutter on the passenger seat.

Officers say this could have fallen onto the driver or controls whilst moving.

A spokesman for Essex Police in Harlow said: "The journey was only very short however it could still have ended in tragedy, just as it has before when a pedestrian in Brentwood was killed by a van driver with a similar restricted view from a mostly iced window."