A coach driver who was stopped by police while driving a bus full of people because he was driving dangerously had almost four times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, RTV Oost reported on Thursday.

A passing driver had warned the police about the bus, which was driving on a closed motorway lane on the A1 near Almelo.

Police caught up with the bus and forced it off the motorway, where they made the driver take a breathalyser test. He was later found to have blood alcohol level of 1.8, when the legal limit is 0.5.

The passengers were on their way to a works party at the time of the incident.

The driver was forced to hand over his driving licence and spend a night in the cells.