Swan causes rush-hour chaos after 'mistaking motorway for river'

Police called out to deal with bird swanning along the eastbound M27 in Hampshire, blocking two lanes of traffic and causing large tailbacks

The swan's adventures created a bottleneck on the M27 near Fareham in Hampshire (Highways England)

Police were forced to chase a swan along a busy motorway as rush-hour traffic queued behind them after it apparently mistook the road for a river.

The bird blocked two lanes of the M27 in Hampshire as it swanned along the eastbound carriageway at about 8am yesterday.

Highways England said the swan - technically owned by Queen Elizabeth II - attempted to fly away but was rescued and “safely taken away”.

The agency, responsible for major highways in the UK, tweeted: “Two lanes are closed on the #M27 eastbound within J11 due to a stubborn swan on the carriageway!”

Richard Stokes, manager at Swan Lifeline, which was involved in the operation, told the BBC: “Swans think the motorway is a river when it has been raining and the tarmac is wet, which is why it was running up and down the carriageway.”

His organisation advised the force to escort the bird to a rescue centre in Portsmouth, the BBC reported.