Nottinghamshire's Bulwell, Rise Park and Highbury Vale Police said the MINI One driver, who was born in 1938, "was hard of hearing, his reactions were poor and he was very unsteady on his feet".

Even had he been "road legal", he may not have been safe to drive anyway, officers said.

They were responding to comments left by members of the public on Facebook in response to the revelation.

Officers had stopped the man near a Tesco Extra in Bulwell, on Wednesday evening.

The driver claimed he had been driving without documentation since the age of 12 and had never been stopped by police before or had an accident, officers said.

In response to the police Facebook post on the incident, one member of the public urged police to "be gentle" given his advanced years.

Replying, the police insisted they "were gentle with him".

The force added: "However, this chap was hard of hearing, his reactions were poor and he was very unsteady on his feet.

"He was potentially not safe driving now, even if he was 'road legal'."