LAND ROVERS are renown for their off-road capability, and a Freelander proved just how good they are in spectacular fashion on Dartmoor.

It plunged about 250ft down a steep hillside, through rocks and bushes — and stayed upright until it reached the bottom.

Luckily, there was no-one behind the wheel of the 4x4 as it rolled down from a lay-by near Holne.

It gradually picked up speed until it was hurtling in a relatively straight line to a bog below, where it became firmly stuck in the mud.

"It was quite an impressive display of the Land Rover's off-road capability, but I would not have liked to have been behind the wheel," said one startled onlooker.

"It was quite amazing that it stayed on all four wheels, and there did not seem to be any obvious serious damage."

Recovery experts were faced with a tricky task to retrieve the Freelander back to the top of the hill, and the winching operation took some time.

A Land Rover spokesman said they were glad that no-one was hurt.

"We are also delighted that one of our vehicles was virtually unscathed. We have a reputation for building robust vehicles that have proved themselves in extreme terrain all over the world for more than 50 years, so it does not surprise us that the Freelander remained upright."