Swan found 'strutting' down M18 near Doncaster saved from rush hour traffic

A swan has been rescued from rush hour traffic after it was found "strutting" down a motorway in South Yorkshire.

The swan was spotted walking down the M18 near Doncaster at around 8.30am on Monday, 18 September.

Three traffic officers were sent to save the swan which was seen "waddling" down the hard shoulder.

Hollie Zmak, Patrick Jones and Jamie Ellison launched a rescue operation and put a roadblock in place to bring traffic to a standstill between junctions 3 and 4 this morning.

The trio moved the swan onto the southbound carriageway with a specialist swan bag and drove it to a nearby lake.

Ms Zmak said that National Highways may have found a new employee thanks to how well the swan bonded with the crew.

She added: "It was just waddling down the hard shoulder so we put a block on straight away.

"It was really chilled. It was just sat in the back of the vehicle ready to go to sleep. All it needed was some high-vis."

Mr Jones said: "It was like another crew member. We took it to a lake and let it go. We gave it a stroke and it didn’t want to leave us."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.