Police have spoken out after finding two children in the boot of a family's car as they were driving off on their holidays.
North West Motorway Police pulled over a vehicle on the M6 motorway to discover a lot more than they bargained for concealed in the boot.
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The coronavirus pandemic may be over - a man having sneaked his wife in his boot after picking up an eBay order - but apparently that doesn't mean people have stopped stuffing others in the back of cars.
North West Motorway Police uploaded two photographs of the car to Twitter.
The first shows the front of the vehicle with an officer stood beside and the second is a shot of the boot of the car with pillows and sleeping bags inside.
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The post reads: "VW Arteon stopped following report of [seven] people on board, two children in the boot. Vehicle sighted on the M6, taken off Junction 20.
"Driver reported for three offences, carrying two passengers with no seatbelts and using a veh for an unsuitable purpose. Family going on holiday."
And social media users have flocked to the post divided over the situation.
One user commented: "I use to love doing this as a kid in the back of parents Volvo estate car! All the blankets and cushions me and my sister on route to a camping holiday and we had the best seats!"
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"Completely different times now. This was weirdly completely acceptable back when I was a kid, even when the seatbelt rule was in force. It is madness to think that this was perfectly normal only 20/30 years ago," another added.
However, others were quick to note how unsafe it is and how it's important the law is much more strictly enforced now.
A user said: "Appreciate people (myself included) crammed lots of people in their cars 40 years ago (think I had seven in my mini) but KSI rate was much higher then too. Good this vehicle was stopped IMO."
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"Reminds me of a fatal RTC I came across on my way home once…family members scattered all over the M6. Thank goodness you intercepted them," a second added.
A third said: "Just beggars all logic. Perhaps a couple of videos of accidents where people who've had no seatbelt on will make them think twice."
"The amount of people chortling about how normal this was decades ago.... belts are there for a reason and people who don't secure their kids should face points on their licence as well as a fine. Good stop, well done," a fourth wrote.
Featured Image Credit: North West Motorway Police / PexelsTopics: Parenting, Travel, UK News, Crime, True Crime, Real Life, Life