A MAJOR motorway came to a standstill when a goat was seen running down the motorway.
Motorists were left open-mouthed on Saturday when the brown animal was seen darting across the lanes of the M5 – between Taunton and Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
Motorists were left stunned when a brown goat was seen darting across the lanes of the M5SWNS:South West News Service Motorists got out of their cars and attempted to help the animal move out of the roadSWNS:South West News ServiceSeveral onlookers got out of their cars and attempted to shepherd the animal off the motorway to safety.
Derya Kirdag, 30, was driving to a campsite near Alton Towers with her partner when she saw a sign telling traffic to slow to 40mph due to an animal in the road.
She snapped footage of the bizarre incident on her phone.
“We were about 45 minutes into a four-hour journey, when we saw a massive sign that said to slow down to 40mph because of an animal in the road,” Derya said.
“We came to a complete stop, so I got out of the car to see what was going on.
“It was crazy – everyone was laughing.
“Normally if there’s traffic people would be annoyed, but everyone seemed quite happy.
“I spoke to a few people and everyone was just laughing and having a good time.”
Derya was delayed for around half an hour, before the traffic cleared and they were able to continue their journey.
She added: “I didn’t see the goat again, but I asked a policeman and he said that they’d managed to get the goat to jump into a hedge.”
A National Highways spokesperson said: “In this case, we received a report of a goat on the M5 at junction 25 for Taunton at 11.20am this morning and our traffic officers arrived on scene at 11.50am.
“The goat left the carriageway unharmed through the adjoining verge and the motorway was reopened to traffic just before 12.10pm.
“Safety is our top priority when we’re dealing with incidents and that includes those involving animals.
“Our advice is not to put yourself at risk if you see a loose animal on our road network.
“Always call 999 in an emergency or you can report sightings of any animals on the carriageway to our Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000.”
How to avoid colliding with animals
Drivers should drive carefully to avoid accidents involving animals, especially at times of year when wildlife is most active.
Signs warn motorists about recurring problems with animals.
A silhouette of a deer in a red warning triangle is common near woodland.
There are also signs warning of toads and hedgehogs.
Use your lights when driving at night – when most accidents involving animals occur.
Be particularly alert in the countryside, where loose farm animals are more likely to appear.
Around 400 people per year are injured on the roads in collisions with deer.
Local Derya Kirdag caught the incident on her phoneSWNS:South West News Service Read More Details
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