The owner of this car, and American NCP Car Parks employee - who used to work for NASA - managed to foregt that he had a 15ft retractable mast stuck to the roof of his car as he drove under a low barrier at a car park in Luton, Bedfordshire.

Des Carmody, who took a picture of the calamity, said: 'There was a loud bang and I turned to see the car rising up in the air to settle on its tailgate.'

The unhurt driver immediately phones his bosses to say, 'I've had a bit of an accident. I've done something stupid.'