Police have tracked down a couple of jokers who were snapped going through a traffic speed trap in full clown costumes.

It turns out not to have been two new arch-criminals for Batman to track down, but instead a pair of revellers who had got into character before setting out for a party. Now driver Martina Oberle, 31, has had the smile wiped off her face after she was fined £110 for speeding in Moerschwil, Switzerland.

Wearing blonde wigs and with full clown make-up Martina and pal Bettina Blauch, 26, were running late for a fancy dress party when they were caught doing 60mph in a 45mph zone. "I saw the flash and thought: 'S**t - that's going to look strange to the police'," said Martina, adding that once they realised they were in hot water they raised their spirits by partying even harder.

Officers who had to track down the owners of the Volkswagen Beetle were less than amused at the pair's antics. "Speeding is no laughing matter, not even if you're wearing baggy trousers and a red nose," said one. "I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that the wheels and the bonnet didn't fall off."

I didn't realise VW's standards had fallen so low!

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