The 80-year-old man from Quiliano, near Savona in the coastal province of Luguria, was stopped in the saddle of his 50cc scooter while riding along the road to the nearby town of Vallegia, Il Secolo XIX reported.

After stopping the man, police asked to see his licence.

“Here it is,” he said, producing the tattered document for inspection without batting an eyelid.

But there was just one problem: the document, issued in 1961, had expired some 45 years ago.

“At the time I asked if I needed to renew it, but I was told I didn't need to,” the pensioner told the police in his defence.

Perhaps even more incredible than the man's excuse was the fact that he had managed to drive for the past 45 years without ever being stopped.

Unimpressed, the stunned officers confiscated the man's scooter and charged him for driving without a licence.