A BMW driver claims he was subjected to a hate campaign after a video on the internet appeared to show him blocking an ambulance.

Brighton businessman Neil Waugh was filmed in an altercation with two South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) paramedics in Tongdean Lane on Monday evening.

Mr Waugh had passed through the railway tunnel in his white BMW when he encountered a vehicle coming the other way. As he got into a debate with the driver over who should reverse the ambulance and a paramedic car both arrived at the scene.

In the video one paramedic is heard saying: "You're obstructing a patient getting to hospital."

At which Mr Waugh says "No I'm not."

One of the paramedics is then seen walking over to Mr Waugh and saying"get in your car."

After the video was posted on social media by a Tesco delivery driver, Mr Waugh faced a barrage of abuse. He was accused of being selfish, branded offensive names and rude comments were made about his weight.

Mr Waugh said he has filed a formal complaint to Secamb about the drivers' behaviour towards him and asked the van driver to remove the video from the internet .

He said: "I've have been subjected to mob rule on social media.

"I have been portrayed as the kind of person who would rather let someone die in an ambulance than move my car and that's not the case.

"In hindsight maybe I should have just reversed. The van driver could have moved a few feet and the ambulance would have been able to get through."

Sussex Police said they had been called about an obstruction involving a van in Tongdean Lane at 3pm on Monday but had not attended.

A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said that the ambulance and paramedic car were believed to have arrived in Tongdean Lane coincidentally at the same time.

He added that they could not comment on the specifics of the incident without looking into it further.

However he urged drivers to listen to paramedics and make sure they do not obstruct ambulances.

This story has been changed to reflect the fact that the Tesco driver originally mentioned was not the driver of the car directly in front of Mr Waugh's BMW. The Tesco delivery man was further back in the traffic.