This shocking footage shows the moment a driver overtook two cars and drove on the wrong side of the road to avoid a red light.

The white van can be seen narrowly missing a black Jeep as it overtakes a black Audi and then another vehicle on Manchester Road in Thornton Lodge.

But instead of getting in front of the two vehicles to wait at the red light, it continues on the opposite side of the road.

Luckily, motorists waiting at give way lines to cut through the waiting traffic onto Birkhouse Lane or to turn left don’t proceed and even give way to the dangerous driver.

And cars joining Manchester Road from the adjoining Blackmoorfoot Road are travelling slow enough to avoid the van before getting in line behind it.

The incident took place on Wednesday at around 1.15pm just a three minute driver from the town centre.

The van came within inches of an oncoming black Jeep in a bid to overtake two vehicles

The man who captured the dashcam footage, who asked not to be named, called the driver an “idiot”, adding: “He only just missed the Jeep coming towards us.”

The business owner, who is from Holmfirth, was on his way home after seeing a customer in Golcar and was in his Tesla with his partner in the passenger seat.

He said: “I was coming up from the Milnsbridge direction and he came up from nowhere and was dying to get through.

“He had been tailgating the Audi for some time.

Dashcam footage shows the van driver driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid a red light

“He got past me to queuing traffic and obviously decided to break the law.

“There were no police cars chasing after him or anything, it was weird.”

He also said the video has been sent to West Yorkshire Police via Twitter, but they told him to report it via 101 which he has not done.