POLICE in York have published shocking footage of a drug driver who opened his door and gesticulated at them during a high speed chase.

North Yorkshire Police say officers were patrolling the A64 late last year in an unmarked police car as part of a crackdown on driving offences when the incident happened.

A police spokesman said: "All was well and in order. We were about to overtake an Audi car, drawing level with it, when the driver cut in front us to squeeze into a gap between our car and the van in front. 

"We sounded the horn to alert the driver to our presence which resulted in him opening his driver’s side door to make rude hand gestures at us. 

"It’s likely he got a bit of an unfortunate surprise when we put the blue lights on and safely brought him to a stop at the next services."

The Audi driver tested positive for cannabis and was arrested and charged. 

Last month he plead guilty to dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drugs. He was fined and disqualified from driving for 12 months. 

The spokesman added: "Cutting dangerously in between two vehicles on a dual carriageway is never a good idea, opening your car door at 60mph is also not a good idea and driving under the influence of cannabis is certainly never a good idea and puts lives at risk.

"If you see anyone committing driving offences on our roads (for example dangerous driving, contravening a red traffic light, using a trailer in lane three of a motorway, mobile phone offences, contravening solid white lines), and it's captured on your dashcam, CCTV or a mobile phone by a passenger, we want you to send it in to us under our Op Snap campaign. 

"Every piece of footage sent to Op Snap is reviewed by specially-trained staff.
If an offence is identified, the driver can be prosecuted or told to take a driver improvement course."

Click here to watch the video.