Newcastle police have arrested and charged a 41-year-old man with high-range drink driving and negligent driving after he rolled his Pajero while driving naked this morning.

A police spokesman said the man and his 41-year-old wife were at a home in Maryland when they decided to drive to Wallsend to get a packet of cigarettes.

Police allege the pair had been drinking heavily and got lost in the backstreets between the two suburbs about 1.20am.

The man allegedly reversed quickly down a street before turning the wheel, causing his vehicle to roll onto its roof.

An off-duty police officer heard the commotion and arrived on the scene where he held the pair until police arrived.

The couple were uninjured in the crash but when police arrived they found the man was naked.

The Herald, Newcastle