Police had a real Hot Fuzz moment – after a swan brought motorway traffic to a standstill.
Images show all three lanes at a standstill as a policeman tries to capture the swan.
Alex Bell photographed the bird as it calmly wandered onto the M5 during rush hour this morning.
A swan was caught on camera casually strolling onto the M5 during rush hour this morning
Alex Bell, 21, was travelling from Torquay to Exeter when he spotted the bird near junction 30. Above, a policeman at the scene with the cheeky swan. Officers eventually managed to get the bird into the back of a police car to take it to a nearby canal where it was released
The 21-year-old was travelling from the Torquay to Exeter when traffic ground to a halt.
Referencing Hot Fuzz, Mr Bell tweeted his picture with the caption: ‘The swan’s escaped from the castle, he’s now just chilling on the #M5 near the Exeter junction, loitering, sitting… #hotfuzz.’
In the 2007 buddy cop action comedy, Simon Pegg’s policeman character Nicholas Angel receives a call that a swan has indeed escaped from a castle.
Mr Bell tweeted his picture with the caption: ‘The swan’s escaped from the castle, he’s now just chilling on the #M5 near the Exeter junction, loitering, sitting… #hotfuzz’ (Above, a scene from the 2007 film, Hot Fuzz, starring Nick Frost (left), Simon Pegg – and a swan
In the buddy cop action comedy, Simon Pegg’s policeman character Nicholas Angel receives a call that a swan has indeed escaped from a castle
Hilarity ensues during which two vehicles have a near-miss with the bird.
Mr Bell, a passenger in his girlfriend’s car, added: ‘There was a small queue of traffic as we approached the junction 30 of the M5 northbound – which isn’t unusual for 8.10am as it’s quite busy.
‘As the car in front drove slowly past, we see the swan around 15 metres away and my girlfriend brakes as it started to move out towards the middle of the lane from the hard shoulder.
‘The other cars moved over to allow us to pass safely.
‘Once we came to a standstill behind the swan, I took a photo.
‘As Hot Fuzz is my favourite film, I had to have it for a joke with mates on Twitter.
‘I think everyone was quite surprised to see the swan so calm standing on a busy road.’
Police were able to ‘cordon off’ the bird using traffic cones near junction 31.
Officers managed to get the swan into the back of a police car to take it to a nearby canal where it was released.