A bungling truck driver was seen carrying a dangerously wide load of metal on the back of his vehicle in southern Thailand.

The huge steel pipes were positioned horizontally on the cargo bed causing the load to protrude and take up space in the opposite lane in Chumphon province on May 23.

Aside from the reckless loading of pipes, the driver was also seen swaying into the wrong lane while the other cars kept to the road’s edge to avoid the hazard.

A highway police team later began tracing the trucker on suspicion of driving dangerously.

Onlooker Wasan Chanthamang, who was driving behind the truck, said he was delivering some vegetables to the market when he chanced upon the vehicle on the road.

He said: ‘I was heading to the south to deliver vegetables to a market. I noticed there was slower traffic then I came up to the truck carrying metal on the narrow road.

‘Traffic slowed down behind them because the other motorists were cautious not to get too close as it was dangerous.’

The driver and his colleague in the front seat – who had allegedly helped to load the piece of steel – were eventually identified by the police. Driver Somporn Jampathasee, 32, said the pipe’s shape made it hard for him to position them on the truck.

He said: ‘I was driving from Samut Prakan province to deliver them at a factory in Songkhla. I had difficulty positioning them because of their shape.

‘I drove out in the daytime to make sure there were fewer motorists on the road. I was also just driving slow to avoid other cars.’

Somporn and his colleague Prayoon Khannaguleuam, 41, were still being investigated by police today (May 25) but were released without charge.