Details have been revealed of how a man with a teddy bear strapped to his chest managed to drive a car across two active run ways at a West Suffolk air base.

The incident happened at RAF Mildenhall in December 2017 when the man, who was later found to be mentally unwell, claimed he was from the Secret Service before driving his Volvo through a gap between barriers and the fence.

At just after 1pm the man drove up to the gates of the base and produced a British passport, the guard told him that was not valid to get on base. He began to get agitated insisting over and over again that he was Secret Service and needed to get on base. He then clenched the teddy bear and began to shake back and forth in his seat, the guard later told investigators.

According to details released by the AirForce Times, the man managed to squeeze his car through the gap between popup barriers and the fence before driving around the base, across active runways and under the wings of two parked C-130 Hercules planes. He was brought to a stop after base security staff rammed his car in to a Helipad.

Multiple shots were fired by USAF Guards with handguns and a rifle, during the incident, as it was suspected the teddy could have been a suicide bomb.  

The man, who was uninjured in the incident, was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass and criminal damage and detained under the Mental Health Act.

An official USAF investigation into the incident has now revealed a catalogue of errors including the non-regulation gap between the barriers and the fence. The incident forced the entire Air Force to review how it approaches base security and make changes