Thousands of Thanksgiving commuters were forced to inch their way through Los Angeles after a "nightmare" traffic jam reduced a major freeway to virtual gridlock.

Aerial footage showed a river of white headlights and red brake lights at a near-standstill on I-405 as families all tried to get home for the holiday at the same time.

The tailback stretched for miles on one of the busiest roads in the United States.

The river of cars was barely moving (ABC)

The video has racked up more than 16 million views on Facebook.

Commenters were aghast at the "horrible traffic nightmare", with one joking: "It's called the 405 because you only go 4 or 5 mph".

Officials in Orange County recently announced a $1.2bn (£962m) improvement plan for the infamous stretch of road, to include new lanes to handle the 370,000 vehicles using it every day.

Eighteen bridges will be rebuilt and access routes overhauled between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line.

But a previous $1.1bn congestion relief scheme, completed in March last year, was plagued by closures and a lack of car-sharing by commuters, according to local media.