A driver has been banned from the roads for six months after an unsecured object flew off the the roof of his car and smashed through the windscreen of a police vehicle responding to an emergency.

Glenn Lillie, 34, was travelling along the A120 near Little Canfield in Essex when a large item detached from his white Audi, cleared the central barrier, and struck the marked patrol car on the opposite carriageway.

The impact shattered the windscreen, showering the driver and passenger with glass, the force said.

The officer driving managed to bring the vehicle to a controlled halt, averting what police described as potentially catastrophic consequences.

The incident could have been catastrophic, Essex police said (Essex Police)

Lillie failed to stop at the scene and did not report the collision, later claiming he believed it was unsafe to pull over.

Essex Police launched an investigation, using camera footage and a forensic examination of the debris left on the carriageway to trace the vehicle back to…