Drivers go crazy over mud

Bottled mud to coat your Chelsea tractor is the must-have accessory for the discerning 4x4 owner.

Those worried their car simply isn't dirty enough can now buy a £7.95 (Dh52.59) bottle of mud to spray on it to give it that "country" look.

The Shropshire firm marketing the mud says sales are going well and there has been interest from around the world.

However, the biggest market is London, where 4x4s are known as Chelsea tractors.

"It seems that people are desperate to get some street cred for their 4x4s on the school run," said Colin Dowse, a business consultant who runs the company part-time.

"People are buying this for the novelty value but there are customers who just want to make their vehicle look a bit more authentic.

"After all, a lot of London 4x4s will never see the countryside." But Dowse warned purchasers that the effects could be short-lived.

"This is just plain Shropshire mud, there are no special ingredients.

"So, if it rains it will streak and if you go into a carwash it will come off. But then you can just re-apply."

However, it is believed that some people using the spray may have another motive avoiding speeding fines by obscuring their number plates with it.

Although Dowse refused to comment on any speed trap-beating uses of the spray, the website he has set up to sell it says: "It is illegal to obscure your number plates.

It is not illegal to spray mud on to your car, provided you do not obscure your plates in the process.

We certainly can't condone anyone doing this in order to avoid, for example, detection by speed cameras."

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, which regulates number plates, said the spray-on mud was not breaking any laws but added it was concerned by the emergence of such sprays and would report to relevant authorities anyone marketing them for illegal uses.