Hackers took control of a car and crashed it into a ditch by remotely breaking into its dashboard computer from 10 miles away.

In the first such breach of its kind, security experts cut out the engine and applied the brakes on the Jeep Cherokee, sending it into a spin – all while sitting on their sofa.

The US hackers said they used just a laptop and mobile phone to access the Jeep's on-board systems via a wireless Internet connection.

They claim that more than 470,000 cars made by Fiat Chrysler could be at risk of being attacked by similar means – including those driven in the UK.

The breach was revealed by security researchers Charlie Miller, a former staffer at the NSA, and Chris Valasek.

They worked with Andy Greenberg, a writer with tech website Wired, who drove the Jeep Cherokee on public roads in St Louis, Missouri.

In his disturbing account Greenberg described how the air vents started blasting out cold air and the radio came on full blast when the hack began.

The windscreen wipers turned on with wiper fluid, blurring the glass, and a picture of the two hackers appeared on the car's digital display to signify they had gained access.