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Parents spark fierce debate as they let boy, 11, drive car to stop him playing Grand Theft Auto all day

3 March 2020, 10:39 | Updated: 3 March 2020, 10:40

An 11 year-old was caught driving. Picture: Getty Images

The boy was caught behind the wheel in Blackpool town centre earlier this week.

Police in Blackpool were shocked when they found an 11-year-old boy driving a car on Monday.

The boy was pulled over in a carpark in the town centre, but when questioned by an officer, an adult family member said they were fed up with him playing computer game Grand Theft Auto all day.

So instead, they decided to give him a taste of the real thing and teach the child how to drive in the family Astra.

Obviously, the police weren’t impressed and the adult was reported for a series of traffic offences.

The driver of this car was 11 years old... (yes, eleven!) A family member was fed up with the child playing Grand Theft Auto all day on the Playstation, so brought him out to practice driving on a car park Blackpool... The adult has been reported for traffic offences. #T2TacOps pic.twitter.com/TBqKmmOUfG
— Lancs Road Police (@LancsRoadPolice) March 1, 2020

Officers from Lancashire police posted the incident on Twitter, with a spokesperson writing: "The driver of this car was 11-years-old. Yes, eleven.

"A family member was fed up with the child playing Grand Theft Auto all day on the Playstation, so brought him out to practice driving on a car park in Blackpool.

"The adult has been reported for traffic offences."

And it seems as though social media users are divided over the Tweet, as one person replied: “Back in the day this was normal, apart from the gaming bit”.

Another slammed: “If the parents are as irresponsible as that how will the kid ever learn? C xx”

While a third hit back: “My dad used to do this with me. I passed my test after 7 lessons”.

In the UK, you can apply for a provisional driving licence when you are 15 years old and nine months but you can’t actually start driving until your 17th birthday.

However, drivers under 17 can learn the basics of driving with qualified instructors on private land.

Meanwhile, Grand Theft Auto is an an action-adventure video game designed for those above the age of 18 due to adult themes such as violence, nudity and strong language.