The Helston driver of an articulated lorry that performed a U-turn on one of Cornwall's busiest roundabouts has been prosecuted after a video was put on social media.

The footage from a dashboard camera came to the attention of police that led to 29-year-old Matthew John Cliff finding himself before Truro's magistrates court, where Bench chairman Karen Tudor described his driving as "potentially catastrophic."

Cliff, of Gwealhellis Warren, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

The court heard he had been filmed by another motorist performing a U-turn at Chiverton Cross roundabout in his 44-tonne artic, at 8.21am - a busy time - on October 11.

He had driven towards the roundabout from the Truro direction and on reaching the mouth of the junction had done a U-turn, returning his vehicle in the direction from which it had come and then carrying on down that road.

He had no previous convictions.

Cliff’s solicitor Dr Childs said his client had had a moment of madness. Half way through the manoeuvre he realised “What am I doing?” but believed it would have been more dangerous to stop there.

That day he had been told some bad news about his mother’s cancer and he was also going through a divorce at the time, both of which mentally put him in the wrong place that morning.

The court also heard that Cliff was not a lorry driver, but a mechanic, and had been moving the vehicle from one depot to another for its MoT.

Fining Cliff £916 with £177 costs and charges, and banning him from driving for 18 months, magistrate chair Ms Tudor told him: "This potentially could have been quite catastrophic, driving a vehicle of that size, at that time of day."