AN Earby man wrongly accused on Twitter of driving without insurance is upset the traffic officer who stopped him has only been "given suitable advice" and has not be dealt with more strongly.

Nathan Phipps, a security guard at Boundary Mills in Colne, was driving a Renault Clio belonging to his girlfriend, Jane Jarvis, when he was stopped on the A59 between Skipton and Broughton in August.

He was questioned and told he was being charged with driving without insurance, which carries a fine of £300 and six penalty points.

But before the police seized the vehicle, the traffic officer attached a sign to the Clio, took a picture and put it on social networking site Twitter with the message "finished the day as started, another no insurance #seized'."

Mr Phipps was later cleared of the charge and he then filed a complaint against the officer, which was heard by North Yorkshire Police's professional standards department.

"They did send me a letter to say I was cleared, and I have a received a cheque for £154, which I had to pay to get the car out of lock up," said Mr Phipps, who was upset after he was informed about how they dealt with the officer.

Mr Phipps said he spoke with the complaint investigator, who told him "the traffic officer should be told his action was unprofessional and inappropriate".

But Mr Phipps pointed out that this was not enough, saying: "They brushed it off. They should have named him and shamed him."

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “This incident was resolved through the complaints process. The officer has been given suitable advice from management and it would be inappropriate to disclose its content.”

"The incident is closed in their eyes, but I've got to accept it," said Mr Phipps. "This process has been a farce from the start."

He also said the investigating officer told him traffic police would still be allowed to carry on making Twitter posts.

A police spokesman confirmed their policy in regards to Twitter would not be reviewed at the moment and said the social networking site offers a means of displaying work undertaken.

The spokesman said: “Policies are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are fit for purpose.”

The incident has left Mr Phipps wary and his girlfriend paranoid about the police.

"Everywhere I go, they seem to be behind me," said Mr Phipps. "My girlfriend won't drive to Skipton anymore because she's paranoid."