PC in 'Hot Fuzz' swan chase near Reading Published duration 11 February 2018

image copyright Thames Valley Police image caption Roads policing officer Jamie Payne caught Sam the swan after a pursuit on foot

A policeman found himself in a real-life Hot Fuzz situation when he was called in to help catch a swan.

PC Jamie Payne swooped in when the bird was spotted on the A33 near Reading.

After winging his way to the busy A-road, the roads unit officer pursued the "elusive swan" on foot - in scenes reminiscent of the 2007 comedy starring Simon Pegg.

The Thames Valley Police unit said the feathered fugitive, which they named Sam, was handed over to a charity.

It was PC Payne's first job since he completed a Traffic Pursuit and Containment Course (TPAC), it added.

Though it seems the officer was already something of a swan pursuit specialist, as it later emerged he had rescued another one last April.

In Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play two mismatched police officers in a sleepy rural village.

Throughout the film, the pair are seen haplessly pursuing a swan which repeatedly escapes their grasp.

In a follow-up tweet, PC Payne's unit mentioned a meeting with Pegg, during which the actor said he was tagged in "many" swan posts since starring in the film.

You might also like:

image copyright Thames Valley Police image caption PC Payne rescued another swan in April 2017

image copyright Getty Images image caption Edgar Wright (left) directed the 2007 buddy comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (right)