A DRUNKEN ice cream man exposed himself after a group of angry residents stopped him leaving the scene of a crash.

Bolton Magistrates Court heard that people in the street tried to block Naeem Ahmed’s escape with a car while another witness tried to grab the van keys from him.

Father-of-three Ahmed was driving the van after his friend, Mohammed Bashir, crashed it into a parked vehicle in Balmoral Road, Farnworth, and ran off, the court was told.

Residents and passers-by stopped him from getting away, and he moved to the back of the van, stood behind the serving hatch and undid his trousers.

Ahmed, aged 33, yesterday pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and intentionally exposing himself.

Leanne Birkett, prosecuting, said: “It appears passers-by tried to use a vehicle to stop the van and one witness attempted to take the keys from the driver.

“The driver was seen to move into the rear of the ice cream van. As well as the adult witnesses, of which there were a number, one said there was a group of five girls aged 10 to 13 stood on the pavement.

“The witness stated that they saw the male driver stand inside the vehicle, undo his belt facing the serving hatch in the direction of the girls.

“He turned away in disgust and shouted to the girls to move away from the van.”

The police arrived and Ahmed was arrested. His breath was tested and he had 67 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, nearly twice the drink-drive limit.

Sam Makkan, defending, said three days after the incident Mr Bashir went to the police and explained that he was driving the van at the time of the accident.

The pair had gone out to Asda to get some medicine because Mr Bashir was feeling unwell.

Mr Makkan said: “The defendant was in the back of the ice cream van and en route there was a collision with a parked van.

“Mohammed Bashir reversed the van, got out and ran away, but the van then came back to where the collision had taken place. By that time, a lot of people had gathered and were shouting and swearing at the person in the van.

“There were people blocking the way. The defendant was trying to take the van away.

He had been drinking alcohol and he wanted to relieve himself.

“He went into the back of the van, undid his trousers and urinated.”

The court heard that Ahmed, of Trafford Street, Farnworth, is married and has three children aged three, five and seven.

Magistrates imposed an interim driving ban until he is sentenced on December 23.