Harpreet Dev, an Indian taxi driver from Bhatinda, in the Punjab state, has become a local cult hero with his habit of driving everywhere backwards.

The Telegraph reveals that so famous are the reversing skills of the 30 year-old that the local authorities have even issued him with a special license to drive in reverse anywhere in the state.

Mr Dev developed his unique talent one night after a party in 2003 when he discovered a fault in his car’s gearbox resulted in only reverse gear working. Undaunted, he redesigned his Fiat Padmini, proudly named “Back Gear Champian” to feature 4 reverse gears and one forward. He is now driving at up to 50mph backwards. After five years of practice I have perfected the art of reverse driving,” he said, adding that he took “all the care I can to protect other drivers on the road”. An ambulance siren has been added to warn drivers, and pedestrians, of his impending approach.

Dev was thwarted in his attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records for reverse driving by UK resident John Smith. He also attempted to promote peace by driving backwards to Pakistan where border authorities’ cruelly denied him access.

Other side-effects of his craft include physical discomfort. “I do have pains in the neck – frequent pains in the neck – and I have had severe vomiting in past,” he said. “I have got a severe backbone problem from driving so fast in reverse, because my whole body gets contorted.” This has failed to dim his enthusiasm, as he added “Achieving something special is never easy,”