Watch: Drink driver smashes £70,000 Maserati into traffic lights in Birmingham City Centre

This is the moment a drunk Maserati driver smashed his £70,000 supercar into a set of traffic lights - right in front of stunned police.

The motorist had been waiting at the junction of Bristol Street and Bristol Road in Birmingham City Centre when the crash happened in October last year.

Council cameras captured the Maserati Levante pulling off in an attempt to turn right but losing control and ploughing straight into a set of railings.

Unluckily for the driver, a police car was also waiting at the junction and promptly breathalysed the owner of the 187mph luxury silver motor. He was found to be twice the legal driving limit and has now been slapped with a 12 month driving ban and £2,190 in fines.

West Midlands Police Traffic shared the footage on social media and wrote: "This clip shows the dangers of drink driving. The driver of this Maserati was double the limit when he crashed in front of one of our patrols on Bristol Street, Birmingham and was arrested. He was found guilty and was banned from driving for a year and fined a total of £2,190."

The video shows the driver first slowly driving through the traffic lights before he fails to negotiate the right turn and crashes through the barriers into a pole. A police car just yards away then switches on its blue lights and parks up in front of the wrecked motor.

The video switches to body-worn camera footage and shows the driver getting out of his vehicle with minor injuries and standing in a daze. The clip was posted on social media by police on Sunday (January 29) where web users blasted the driver, saying he had ‘more money than sense’.

Steven Bole said: "Left to me life ban a very big fine then only then will people realise that drink and driving don’t mix when will people realise the hurt that drink driving cause." Another user called That Bloke said: "Right in front of a police car! Fantastic timing."

Asma Parvez posted: "Not only he got banned and fined. The cost of that car, the insurance and all will cost him more. Maybe next time don’t drink and drive. Could have killed somebody."

User PenaltyTicket said: “With wealth comes entitlement, and with entitlement comes privilege, and with privilege comes the right to do whatever you want. NOT."

Brendan Sky wrote: “I feel the term ‘more money than sense’ was invented for this rich half-wit.” Parm Bilkhu added: "Never a police officer around when you need one ... wait a minute."