A cheeky driver has taken advantage of a Kent town centre's expensive new water feature - by using it as a free car wash.

The black Audi was caught on camera getting a rinse from the giant metal rings recently installed in Dover's refurbished Market Square.

Jake Michael, 24, took a video of the opportunistic motorist making the most of the mist yesterday afternoon.

The barista, who was working at the Market Square Kitchen at the time, says the car was driven back and forth getting a good clean for about 10 minutes.

He believes it may all have been part of a stunt filmed for TikTok - and says people outside the café found it very amusing.

However, Jake and others were also worried that the driver might collide with pedestrians.

"We were all concerned about whether they’d hit someone, as you can still see people walking through the rings while they were there," he said.

"There were a group of people in front of the café who were very amused. They were laughing, but also pointing at the pedestrians in a concerned manner, as there were also some very young kids running about the town centre.

"But it was a great spectacle of entertainment for the spectators."

The rings were officially opened this summer as part of a £3.6 million makeover of Market Square, mostly funded by government cash.

The project in Dover town centre was intended to provide a place for children to play - and for people to cool off in the hot weather.

But its use as a free way of getting your car cleaned was not among the list of intended benefits.

Jake says he and a co-worker spotted the vehicle in action at about 2.40pm on Wednesday.

He said: "She was actually the one who brought it to my attention by saying, 'now what’s this guy up to?…' and pointing out the window.

"Then, after a few minutes of watching him drive through the rings and park up, I thought this needed to be recorded."

The former St Edmund's Catholic School pupil says he saw those in the car get out and take photos and record footage on their phones.

He shared his own video on Facebook, saying: "It was only a matter of time..."

After reading the replies to his post, he believes those involved were taking videos for their own TikTok account.

The born and bred Dovorian, who lives in Clarendon Street, added: "We’ve seen a lot from that window ever since the new Market Square centre opened up - but this is the first time we’ve seen a vehicle actually drive through the pedestrian walkway.

"The other common sight is kids or adults on bikes riding through them."

The original idea for the project came from the Dover Town Team, which represents town centre traders.

Supported by Dover District Council and Dover Town Council, the Team submitted a £2.44 million bid to the government’s Coastal Communities Fund.

The works were supported by Kent County Council as the highways authority and undertaken by Kent-based, FM Conway Limited.