Dash-cam footage shows the terrifying moment a van overtook a fully loaded HGV with timber before suddenly braking in front of it on the A50 in England.

The HGV driver's dash-cam shows the van overtaking and abruptly braking, forcing the truck to pull into a layby to avoid crashing.

The 43.8 tonne HGV was fully loaded with timber at the time.

The incident took place on the A50 heading towards Stoke between Church Leigh and Cresswell on May 9.

This dangerous manoeuvre, so-called brake checking, is when a driver ahead of you deliberately and unnecessarily brakes hard in order to force you to take evasive action or to cause you to run into the back of them.

HGV drivers have complained on social media that it is becoming an increasing problem.

Writes the driver: "I was driving along the A50 fully loaded with timber weighing in at about 43.8 tonnes and with that weight, stopping has to be done with caution. When you consider a Ford Fiesta weighs about 1 tonne ...

"So travelling at approx 55mph on a pretty empty road I come up behind three cars travelling slower so I check my mirror and see a good 600 yards back a van in the outside lane, but far enough back for me to overtake. (The) indicator goes on and I look again and see a headlight flash from the van, so out I go (and) as I'm passing the third car this van is right behind me, half on the centre-divide, flashing and honking. I pass the third car and pull back into the nearside lane, check my mirror and the van is up the side, honking his horn and giving some sort of hand gesture like he was shaking coffee beans, then he did this!"

The HGV driver reported the incident to the police.

''Although the manner of driving of the van is deliberately inconsiderate, it would not meet the threshold for a prosecution of dangerous driving,'' police responded.

The A50 is a trunk road between Warrington and Leicester.

+CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: MUTE FROM SOURCE+

So as a hgv driver i see many stupid things on the road and im sure im nit perfect and sometimes do things that upset other drivers, on many posts i see” wonder what led up to the incedent” so this is what happened, i was driving along the A50 fully loaded with timber weighing in at about 43.8 tonnes and with that weight stopping has to be done with caution, when you consider a ford fiesta weighs about 1 tonne that means im weighing about 44 fiesta’s just to try to put it in context, so travelling at approx 55mph on a pretty empty road i come up behind three cars travelling slower so check my mirror and see a good 600 yards back a van in the outside lane but far enough back for me to overtake, so indicator goes on and look again and see a headlight flash from the van so out i go, as im passing the third car this van is right behind me half on the centre divide flashing and honking, so pass the third car and pull back into the nearside lane, check my mirror and the van is up the side honking his horn and giving some sort of hand gesture like he was shaking coffee beans, then he did this!!