POLICE at Royal Wootton Bassett marked a milestone this week when they discovered their van, known as Danny the Vito, had been driven more miles than the distance to the moon.

The eight-year-old Mercedes vehicle, which has been trundling around the roads of North Wiltshire – sometimes at speed, has 239,237 miles on the clock. The moon is a mere 238,900 miles away.

Named after Ruthless People star Danny de Vito, the vehicle is used for everything, including transporting violent prisoners.

Wootton Bassett Sgt Louis McCoy said: “It’s high mileage and we’re in the process of replacing the Vitos so it’s due for retirement.”

However he said there was life in the old van yet.

“When you start it, it takes a few minutes to spring into life, a bit like an elderly person who doesn’t want to get up,” he said.

“But once it’s started it is reliable and it will get you there in a hurry if necessary.

“Once Danny is warmed up he’s on the ball. He’s like a senior PC, steady and reliable.”

Danny’s achievement was proudly tweeted by the station’s Twitter account @RWBassettPolice on Friday.