A family of swans brought traffic to a halt in a Lanarkshire town on Wednesday.
Drivers of cars travelling on North Dryburgh Road and Coltness Road in Wishaw had to sit patiently as the cob, pen and five cygnets decided to go for a wander into a residential area before settling down in the middle the road.
Quick-thinking Ellen Sweeney who lives nearby tried unsuccessfully to usher them off the road and then called the police who in turn contacted the Scottish SPCA.
She said: “I was just coming back home from the barbers with my son Denis and was almost home when I saw them crossing from the bus stop.
"There was the dad, the mum and five babies all crossing the road.
"All the cars had stopped and I got out. I tried to pick one of the babies up but as soon as I bent forward one of the adults reacted and I nearly got a sore head.
"I didn’t know what else to do so I phoned the police and they called the Scottish SPCA."
The police arrived but ended up having to go elsewhere before the Scottish SPCA turned up at the scene.
Ellen continued: “The swans were sitting in the middle of the road and then they would shuffle along a bit and sit in the road again. They ended up walking right up to mine and my neighbours’ front garden.
"They sat in front of my house in North Dryburgh Road for two hours before the Scottish SPCA officer came.
“It was gridlock and people couldn’t believe what they were seeing, when you went close to them they were hissing and flapping their wings.
"The SSPCA woman came and moved her van around to the side and then just scooped up two of the babies and walked across the road, so that encouraged the rest to walk along.
"The mum and dad were not happy and were hissing and their wings were going up.
“She ended up leading them back to where they had came from, through the green railings.”
SSPCA chief inspector, John Chisholm, said: “On Wednesday we responded to a report to our helpline of two swans and five cygnets in the middle of North Dryburgh road in Wishaw.
“We were able to safely get them to a pond across the road.
“If you come across a swan or any other wildlife in your way on a road, please be patient.
"It is likely that they will move on their own and interference from the public could cause them unnecessary stress.
"If the birds are causing an immediate danger to road users, please call Police Scotland on 999.
“If you are concerned about the welfare of an animal, or find injured wildlife please contact our helpline on 03000 999 999.
“In response to the current bird flu outbreak we recently made the difficult decision to stop admitting wild birds to our wildlife hospital, but we will still attend to birds in need and do all we can to help.
“If you find a dead bird please do not touch it and contact Defra’s helpline on 03459 33 55 77.”
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