Traffic squidlock! Lorry carrying huge model octopus breaks down in the middle of Oxford Circus

Truck carrying sea creature broke down at busy junction with Regent Street

Traffic in central London ground to a halt when lorry stopped on crossing

Amused shoppers snapped pictures of the stranded sea creature



'I'm really embarrassed,' says driver - who was taking octopus to bookies

Bookmakers' Betfair confirms octopus is a prop for a World Cup advert



A lorry carrying a huge model octopus caused traffic chaos this morning when it broke down right in the middle of Oxford Circus.

The vehicle came to a standstill in the middle of the London shopping street's busy junction with Regent Street, causing the roads to grind to a halt.

Tentacles splayed, the large brown model octopus, which appeared to have been created from polystyrene, was being transported on the back of a flatbed truck when it broke down at around 9am.

Traffic squidlock: This flat bed truck carrying a huge model octopus broke down in the middle of Oxford Street this morning

Amused shoppers snapped pictures of the stranded sea creature, as embarrassed driver Ala Miah, 25, waited to be rescued in the middle of the road's pedestrian crossing.

'The van broke down and I think a lot of people will be displeased with me,' Mr Miah, from Muswell Hill in London, told MailOnline.

'They are going to work and they get stuck at Oxford Circus because an octopus has broken down.

'I look like a right pillock my an octopus on the back of the van.'

Mr Miah said he had been hired to deliver the octopus to the offices of bookmakers' Betfair in Hammersmith, although he did not know if they intended to use the creature as part of a World Cup stunt.

Another octopus, named Paul, famously predicted the outcome of the 2010 tournament games from his home in a German aquarium.

Mr Miah apologised to any motorists caught up in the traffic jam.



'If I was going to work in the morning I would laugh afterwards but if you take a picture of it and sday "this is what happened" your bosses would understand.

Unusual sight: Amused shoppers snapped pictures of the stranded sea creature, while buses waited to pass

Hold up: The vehicle came to a standstill in the middle of the London shopping street's busy junction with Regent Street, causing the roads to grind to a halt

'Life is too short, you have got to laugh at things like this.

'But I'm really sorry it happened.'

Rescue workers were later able to move the van away from the pedestrian crossing and onto Regent Street to ease traffic congestion.

Mr Miah said the truck's engine had overheated, and he was now attempting to get it to a nearby garage.

'I'm trying to creep off to a garage, without people seeing,' he said.

'Some people are great, they laugh and say "well done mate", and it has put a smile on their faces.'

Embarrassed: Driver Ala Miah, 25, said the truck's engine had overheated, and apologised for causing the traffic hold ups

Stunt: A spokesman for Betfair confirmed that the octopus had been used as a prop in an advert to be screened during the World Cup

A spokesman for Betfair confirmed that the octopus had been used as a prop in an advert to be screened during the World Cup.

'It's our octopus,' he told MailOnline, adding that the breakdown was not an intentional part of any stunt.

He added: 'We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience that has been caused by the breakdown this morning at Oxford Circus.



'While transporting a prop which was used in a recent advertising campaign, unfortunately our truck broke down on its way to a holding location.'



Many were alerted to the break down when Transport for London chiefs tweeted a picture of the truck, warning of potential delays for motorists.

Return of Paul? Twitter users speculated the octopus may have been a pre-World Cup stunt, after another octopus, named Paul, famously predicted the outcome of the 2010 tournament games from his home in a German aquarium

The organisation posted on its traffic Twitter feed: 'A lorry carrying an octopus has broken down at Oxford Circus. Approach with care.'

A spokesman from TfL told MailOnline: 'It's not one of our roads.

'It was a lorry with an octopus on the back which broke down at about 9 o'clock this morning. It has since been repaired and moved.'

Earlier the cephalopod was spotted cruising past the city's Hyde Park.

Many Twitter users speculated that the octopus may have been related to the World Cup.



Twitter user Steve Anderson wrote: 'An Octopus breaking down at Oxford Circus before the World Cup is definitely not a PR stunt.'

Liam Edwards added: 'Paul the Octopus returns from the dead??...Giant octopus breaks down in Oxford Circus... #crazy #london'



While Declan Cashin wondered if it was to get publicity for a new film.