Jeremy Clarkson has been embroiled in a new controversy after he tweeted about having beer in his car.

The tweet read:

One of the best drives of my life. Gravel road. M6. Sun going down. iPod playing Blind Faith. Beer in cup holder. http://t.co/95Okh9vnPh

The Top Gear presenter, known for his many politically incorrect faux-pas, came under heavy criticism for the tweet, although it did not suggest directly that alcohol was being consumed.

Clarkson was filming in Australia and driving a BMW M6 when he decided to post the picture and inflammatory comment.Top Gear’s front man is more than ‘au fait’ with public gaffs, often causing a great deal of stress to his long-standing employer, the BBC. Both the corporation and the Top Gear team are still dealing with the fallout of the show’s trip to Argentina where they filmed a TV special. Locals were angered by a number plate on one of their vehicles which appeared to make reference to the Falklands War.

The BBC refused to apologise over the number plate issue, and as yet have not mentioned the recent beer-related tweet. Other Twitter users branded Clarkson an “idiot” over the comment.

However, others appear less concerned. The tweet has been re-tweeted more than 700 times and favourited more than 2,000.

The gaff comes at a particularly sensitive time, as many of our vehicle recovery insurance customers will be aware. With Christmas approaching the issue of drink-driving will come to the fore once again. And as authorities gear up for their anti-drink-driving campaigns in order to reduce deaths and injuries on our roads, some will see Clarkson’s comments as especially unhelpful.