A scheming motorist was caught on camera using a car pool lane with a fully-dressed dummy in his passenger seat.

The 24-year-old clothed the mannequin in a denim shirt and sunglasses in a bid to use the lane for cars travelling with at least one passenger.

But a sharp-eyed police officer spotted the unusual looking passenger and stopped the hapless driver to get a closer look.

The motorist is said to have 'sheepishly' apologised and accepted a fine of around £70 for the harebrained scheme on a motorway in Auckland, New Zealand.

Senior Sergeant Brett Henshaw said it is not the first time motorists have come up with unconventional ways to use the car pool lanes.

He told the New Zealand Herald : "The driver was rather sheepish, apologised and said it was the first time he'd done it. He was given an infringement notice for unauthorised use of a special vehicle lane."

"Drivers who use lanes like this without having a bona-fide reason should be aware that we're regularly conducting patrols of them.

"No one enjoys sitting in traffic and we've all experienced the frustration of waiting your turn, only to see someone who is the sole occupant of their car sailing past in the T2 lane."

Deputies rushed to the scene on U.S. Highway 61 near Sperry, in Des Moines County, on Tuesday after receiving several reports about the possible jumper.  They tried to talk the man down, but he didn't react to their commands, reports KWQC.  One deputy then pulled out his binoculars and realized it was in fact a life-sized dummy.

"It was dark, they couldn't see," Sheriff Mike Johnstone told The Hawk Eye.

"They assumed it was someone jumping, but at some point they realized the person was not responding to their commands," he said.

"One of them pulled out their binoculars and realized it was a mannequin," he added.

The figure had been placed there by Brad Deery, the owner of a local car dealership.  It sat on top of the sign which read: "From up here, I can see Deery of Burlington.”  Deery took the dummy down on Friday.

"The sheriff didn't tell me to take it down, but when I heard about the 911 calls — I don't want to be tying up a line. I'm here to sell cars, not get people hurt," he told The Hawk Eye.