Swan found strutting down M18 hard shoulder saved from Doncaster rush hour traffic

Hollie Zmak, Patrick Jones and Jamie Ellison all launched a rescue operation after National Highways was alerted to the errant swan walking down the M18 near Doncaster at around 8.30am today (Monday 18 September 2023).

A roadblock was put in place before Hollie and Patrick, who crew together, were able to bring traffic to a standstill between junctions 3 and 4 and get to the swan on the southbound carriageway.

The pair used a specialist swan bag to safely transport the bird away from the dangers of the road and enjoyed its company ahead of its release at a nearby lake.

Hollie said: “It was just waddling down the hard shoulder so we put a block on straight away.”

Patrick added: “We decided that behind the barrier was the best place to put it in the swan bag and it behaved so well.

“We placed him or her in the bag and put it in the back of our vehicle.”

Hollie suggested that National Highways may have potentially found a new employee thanks to how well it bonded with the crew and the vehicle.

She said: “It was really chilled. It was just sat in the back of the vehicle ready to go to sleep.

“All it needed was some high-vis.”

Patrick said: “It was like another crew member. We took it to a lake and let it go. We gave it a stroke and it didn’t want to leave us.”