HE literally spent 30 years living in the fast lane driving police cars.

But now Dave Underwood is enjoying a change of pace at Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

A former policeman in the roads unit, Dave was used to high-speed chases along motorways or dealing with crash scenes.

But now he spends his weeks driving patients around the Winchester hospital in an electric golf buggy.

Dave, 54, said: “My career was like you see on those television programmes like Traffic Cops; I did everything from pursuing criminals to surveying car crashes. I was also a family liaison officer so it was down to me to deliver some of the worst news.

“When I retired in March I promised myself I would find a less stressful job. The pace is much slower but it’s very enjoyable and in this job everyone seems to be pleased to see me, which wasn’t the case before!”

Dave has only been in the job for four weeks but is already ferrying around 130 passengers a day between the car park and outpatients unit.

He added: “It’s a sociable job and I’ve met some very nice people. I’m beginning to get regulars and the word I’ve heard most from people is ‘brilliant’. It’s very rewarding.”

The buggy operates Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm.