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.”