A seven-year-old boy was stopped by police in northern Germany while trying to plough snow with a front loader he borrowed from his parents' business, authorities said.

Officers on patrol found the boy atop the 3.5-metre-tall (11.5-foot-tall) excavator after he had cleared the street in the town of Reinfeld and was driving back to the parking lot.

The child noticed the police car behind him and stopped immediately.

"He opened the door, got out and admitted immediately that he did not have a driving licence," the police report said.

Our neighbours have a boy about that age who's quite capable of doing the same.