WATCH: "Idiot" driver left with egg on face after Mini left damaged when speeding through deep ford where animals roam

A video captured the moment a Mini Cooper accelerated towards the ford - swamped with more water than usual following the recent downpours - and ploughs through the narrow crossing causing a massive splash in front of shocked onlookers.

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The Mini, barely slowing down despite water being thrown all over it, then continues to speed off.

But the driver’s recklessness came at a price - as part of the front bumper and engine skid plate came loose from the car before ending up in the Dockens Water stream off the Moyles Court ford in Rockford, close to Ringwood in the New Forest.

The incident on Saturday afternoon happened within minutes of five pigs crossing the ford, while ponies were also seen in the area.

A social media post of the incident attracted scathing criticism of the driver. One person wrote: “You can't teach stupid.”

Another said: “Probably the same type of idiot who speeds on the forest roads all the time.”

A third posted: “I would give this to the Verderers. What would have happened if there were ponies on the other side?”

Another added: “Hell that was fast.”

The location is a popular tourist hotspot that attracts lots of visitors throughout the year. Positioned feet away from the ford stands the Moyles Court Oak, possibly the largest and oldest tree in the New Forest.

Across the ford, Moyles Court School, an independent day and boarding school, was the former manor house of Rockford. The 17th century manor house was once the home of Dame Alice Lisle, the last lady to be publicly beheaded in England following a judicial trial in 1685 for harbouring fugitives of the Battle of Sedgemoor. In 1940 the building was requisitioned by the RAF, who stationed the headquarters for the Ibsley Airfield there for six years.

Meanwhile, the nearby Alice Lisle pub backs on to Blashford Lakes and features an enormous beer garden complete with its own play area and aviary.

Moyles Court School was also at the centre of drama in the summer when travellers turned up and attempted to take over land belonging to the school - which was forced to close early for school holidays.