A herd of cows unleashed chaos on the M1 yesterday after they decided to go for a stroll on the busy carriageway.
The five adventurous cattle ended up causing two-hour tailbacks after they joined the motorway between between Sheffield and Rotherham between junctions 34 and 35.
South Yorkshire Police and traffic officers raced to the scene shortly after the cows were first spotted at around 6:30am, and quickly enforced speed and lane closures to keep the animals safe.
Traffic was stopped completely when the police arrived to round up the cattle, which had begun to venture onto the nearside verge.
All cows were rounded up and taken to safety at about 7am.
A pair of traffic camera photographs posted by National Highways on Twitter showed the five cows walking unfazed in a formation across one of the middle lanes of the motorway.
A large row of vehicles can be seen mounting up behind them at a safe distance, including a large lorry.
In a statement released after the lane had reopened, a National Highways spokesperson said: "Traffic has now been released.
"All lanes are now open on the #M1 northbound in #SouthYorkshire between J34 (#Sheffield) and J25 (#Rotherham).
"There's approximately 2 miles of slow moving traffic in the area but this should now start to ease.
"Thanks for your patience."
While no doubt an unexpected headache for commuters travelling to work in Yorkshire or further afield, some internet commenters saw the bovine disruption as the perfect opportunity to try out their best cow puns.
One jokester on Twitter earnt a few chuckles with a quip about Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, writing: "Anyone see those cows that escaped onto M1 this morning? Going towards udders-field."
Another replied to a tweet from National Highways showing the cows on the road by remarking "Hope they moove over", while another chimed: "Pretty sweet moonovers there".
In the event of a slow-moving animal appearing on the highway, advice from the AA says that motorists should immediately reduce their speed, avoid using full headlights to startle the animal and be prepared to stop the vehicle until it has moved.
