Swan, brake! Bird stops traffic as it waddles across busy motorway

Drivers had to wing it on the M4 motorway this morning when a swan calmly waddled across the road.

As traffic inched its way along junction 3 at Hayes, west London, the bird even paused halfway across and extended its wings, slowing the approach of an oncoming lorry.

Luckily for the swan, there already appeared to be a tailback on the road close to Heathrow, so there was no real danger of an accident (or swan pie for breakfast).

One driver even got out of his car to help the confused jay (or should we say swan?) walker to safety on the hard shoulder.

This swan is just the latest in a long line of rogue animals to cause havoc on our roads.

In June last year, runaway cows were sighted, also on the M4, leading to hours of delay.

And in 2009, a herd of pigs escaped onto a motorway in Essex after the lorry carrying them crashed.

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