A TERRIFIED mother's new car veered out of control after a garage forgot to remove protective packing when it left the showroom.

Days after buying the Ford Focus, Sharon Seymour said her car "simply took on a life of its own" as she struggled to control it on a dual carriageway.

The 34-year-old social worker had just dropped off her two children in Boldon Colliery, in South Tyneside, and was joining the A19 when her nightmare journey began.

Fighting to control the steering wheel, she narrowly avoided crashing into a Mini travelling behind her before finally managing to get control and drive back to her home in Marsden, South Shields.

It was then her husband, Paul, found two red chocks still attached to the car's suspension.

The chocks, which are used to protect the car's suspension springs when it is in transit from the assembly line to the car showroom, should have been removed before the car was sold.

Mrs Seymour said: "The car should have been checked for this sort of thing before it was sold to me."

RAC Foundation chief executive Edmund King said: "You can't expect the motorist to carry out a thorough pre-sale vehicle check.

"That responsibility must fall on the supplier."

The car was sold to Mrs Seymour by Patterson Ford, of Newcastle.

The company's sales director, David White, said: "The chocks should not have been left on the car and we have apologised to the Mr and Mrs Seymour for that.

"We are being honest about the mistake and have compensated them."

He added: "We believe the situation is now sorted though, and have put further procedures in place to ensure this mistake never happens again."