Police are hunting for a rogue driver who caused chaos on the Long Walk at Windsor on Saturday afternoon.

The extraordinary saga began over the Surrey border in Bond Street, Englefield Green when Surrey police approached an Audi car at about 2.45pm.

They wanted to talk to the driver, who sped off. Officers decided against giving chase for safety reasons because of the amount of holiday traffic around. But Thames Valley police soon became involved.

An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said the car raced into Windsor Great Park through the Blacknest Gate near the Fox and Hound pub.

The driver is understood to have headed at speed through the deer park and reached the Copper Horse statue at the top of the Long Walk - the strictly vehicle free path that sweeps down towards the castle crossing Albert Road, Windsor.

Great Park wardens acted swiftly to shut the large white gate but the driver is understood to have crashed a small fence and carry on into the main body of the Long Walk.

The eyewitness said the Duke of York was spotted pulling off the road in the private area of the Great Park to avoid the advancing Audi.

The Long Walk is a famous beauty and walking spot and members of the public are said to have watched the car’s bizarre progress in horror.

The driver allegedly managed to get off the Long Walk and onto Albert Road - the main link between Windsor and Old Windsor - then turned left and headed for Sheet Street Road, the public road which cuts through the Great Park heading towards Ascot.

The saga only lasted minutes but left Easter weekend crowds, who had been in or been walking past the Long Walk, sharing the experiences of what they had seen with astounded newcomers to the scene.

Thames Valley Police confirmed they were called to an “incident of dangerous driving” in Albert Road at 3pm.

No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.