A swan found roaming the streets of Plymouth was taken “prisoner” and escorted to the vet in the back of a police car in a scene reminiscent of the hit British comedy Hot Fuzz.
Devon and Cornwall police were called to the Mutley Plain area of the city at about 6.20pm on Wednesday, when the bird was seen waddling around by passersby.
Officers said the swan had been “removed” from Plymouth harbour, which is about two miles away, by a drunk man. The swan was thought to have been involved in a road collision and officers feared it was hurt.
The incident has been likened to a scene from Edgar Wright’s 2007 film Hot Fuzz, where two police officers in the West Country are terrorised by a distressed swan.
When the police arrived, members of the public had reportedly wrapped a blanket around the bird, which then rode in the back of the police car to a vet.
Plymouth police D section tweeted: “Not your usual prisoner!
“Report of a swan being removed from the harbour by a drunk male before it being involved in a collision on Mutley Plain. Taken to the vets where they are nursing it back to health.”
Police said the man suspected of moving the bird had left the area before officers arrived.
