This is the terrifying moment a "highly modified" car nearly collided with an oncoming vehicle near Bath in southwest England while "drifting" as official police figures revealed a dramatic rise in the number of drivers speeding as traffic falls during the coronavirus lockdown.

Simon Westmacott was driving alone on the A367 on Dunkerton Hill between Bath and Peasedown Saint John in Somerset on Friday (May 8) when he says the modified silver track car lost control coming round a bend and nearly collided with his vehicle.

Front and rear dashcam footage shows the scary near miss with the vehicle, which Westmacott described as a "highly modified, 370 bhp track car."

He told Newsflare: "I am driving and happy singing along to the radio when suddenly a car slides around the corner and I just avoid hitting it. The car behind, [it] also just missed.

"I was in the 60mph limit going down hill towards Bath, just entering the 40mph limit. The offending car was coming up hill from the direction of Bath. He was in a 40mph limit. I believe he was intentionally causing his car to drift by making it oversteer."

On Thursday, Avon and Somerset Police said more than 1,300 drivers had been detected exceeding the speed limit during the lockdown.

Avon and Somerset Police Road Safety Manager Trevor Simpson said: “We would hope that at a time when the whole country is being called on to unite in staying home and protecting ourselves, each other and the NHS, prevalent speeding would not be an issue to which we would have to dedicate valuable police resource.

“Sadly it has become evident through the high number of reports we are receiving that a minority of people are going against the advice and causing danger to themselves and others.

“We urge people to stay home and avoid all non-essential journeys. Good weather, quiet roads, a need for a change of scenery or simply wanting to get “out and about” are not acceptable reasons to get behind the wheel.

I am driving and happy singing along to the radio when suddenly a car slides around the corner and I just avoid hitting it and the car behind also just missed. Front and rear dash cam footage. It turns out it is a 370 bhp track car.

It happened on dunkerton hill between Bath and peasdown St. John it’s the A 367. I was in the 60 limit going down hill towards bath just entering the 40 limit. The offending car was coming up hill from the direction of bath he was in a 40 limit. I believe he was intentionally causing his car to drift by making it over steer.