POLICE last night criticised a car driver's attempt to tow a large mobile home along a major North-East road.

Hundreds of motorists were left fuming after the 36ft-long trailer bearing the mobile home became distinctly immobile after suffering a puncture on the busy A66.

Cleveland Police were called shortly before 3pm yesterday after reports that the mobile home, which completely dwarfed the BMW X5, had ground to a halt and was blocking one lane of the dual carriageway, just east of Middlesbrough.

Traffic quickly built up and in 30 minutes tailbacks stretched to the Riverside Stadium, on the other side of the town centre.

Drivers were seen shaking their heads in disbelief as they crawled past the scene.

Officers called in several recovery companies to try to shift the trailer, but to no avail.

After three hours, the trailer, car and driver were still waiting for a replacement wheel.

A police spokesman said: "The driver could have flipped the car pulling a trailer of this size. A 36ft trailer should be pulled by a suitable vehicle and with a competent driver."

A mechanic, who works at Ron Perry's Recovery Garage, said the driver of the four-wheel drive may have thought it could cope with the weight.

"A car that size shouldn't be pulling a trailer like that - it's ridiculous. Sometimes you just can't tell people - towing these days is dangerous, especially on a road as busy as the A66.

"The traffic builds up very quickly after an accident and this driver has caused hassle for hundreds of drivers.

"A mobile home of that size should at the very least be towed by a van designed to pull big weights."

One amazed driver, Paul Gunn, 45, said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw a car like that trying to pull something the size of a house - it looked absolutely stupid.

"I can't believe the driver even attempted to pull it - no wonder it broke down.

"Drivers who don't think can cause huge problems on the roads and make rush-hour traffic even worse. It took me nearly an hour to pass that area."

Cleveland Police said they attended at 2.45pm yesterday and tailbacks were still reported beyond the football stadium at 6pm last night. The road was eventually cleared by 8pm.