A man discovered half-naked in his car told police he had been changing his clothes after getting hot while stuck in a traffic jam.

Homeless Mindy Fairchild had become “smelly and sweaty” in gridlock on the afternoon of Sunday, August 27, one of the warmest days of the year, so had pulled over in Pilgrims Way, Hollingbourne, to swap his shorts over.

It was at that moment, Maidstone Magistrates’ Court heard, that two PCSOs pulled up alongside him in a car.

The officers reported seeing the 52-year-old lying in a reclined seating position with his genitals exposed.

Mark Kateley, prosecuting, said: “As the officers approached the vehicle he pulled up his shorts.

“He said he was hot and wanted to cool down and have a lie down.

“He was fortunate not to have been charged with exposure. It is quite a busy road and people were driving past.”

Fairchild gave no comment at interview, but Sara Haroon, defending, told the court the former bus driver had been homeless since last year and slept in his car when he was not sofa surfing.

She explained: “He went to Pilgrims Way, which he regards as a relatively quiet area, and pulled over.

“He had not got the clothing he was going to change into out of the back seat before removing his clothing. He was in the process of locating his trousers he was going to put on. He fully accepts it would have caused any person alarm or distress.”

Fairchild, who has 19 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to a public order offence.

During sentencing, chairman of the bench David Mann, said: “This wasn’t a particularly clever thing to do. We understand your difficult circumstances but you need to think about what you are doing.”

Fairchild was given a year-long conditional discharge, and ordered to pay £105 in various court costs.