Doncaster: Swan plucked to safety after blocking motorway

Lukas Cadman rescued the cygnet with a specially designed "swan kit"

A careless cygnet narrowly avoided an early swansong when it was rescued from a busy motorway.

Traffic officers plucked the young bird to safety after it wandered onto the A1(M) near Doncaster.

Concerned drivers first spotted the swan on the road's hard shoulder between junctions 37 and 38 on Thursday morning.

National Highways closed the southbound motorway while officers rescued the cygnet, which they named Boris Swanson.

Team manager Lukas Cadman, who used a specially designed emergency "swan kit" to capture the bird, said: "There were a couple of worrying moments before we got to the swan.

"Just before we put on a rolling roadblock to slow traffic, it started waddling into the road. Thankfully, we managed to get to it in time."

Mr Cadman's efforts earned him "a hiss" and "some flapping of wings" from the nervous bird, but he said "it was easier to get hold of than I thought it would be".

The RSPCA checked over the cygnet before releasing it uninjured at a local lake.

Concerned drivers spotted the swan sitting on the motorway's hard shoulder