Small goat shuts down one of the UK's busiest motorway junctions

‘I guess the moral is never be surprised what will cause a problem on the M62’

Vincent Wood
Sunday 15 September 2019 20:25 BST
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The rogue animal was spotted darting among vehicles between junctions 28 and 29 of the M62 near the Lofthouse interchange
The rogue animal was spotted darting among vehicles between junctions 28 and 29 of the M62 near the Lofthouse interchange

A small goat managed to close down one of the UK's motorway busiest junctions for 90 minutes.

Darting through vehicles, as the animal evaded capture by the police, traffic was brought to a standstill between junctions 28 and 29 of the M62 near the Lofthouse interchange on Friday night.

Footage taken by bemused motorists at the scene south of Leeds, showed people getting out of their cars and attempting to guide the wayward animal out of harm’s way.

But the goat repeatedly returned to the road. traffic to a standstill. Police officers seen driving up and down the road in an attempt to locate the creature.

York town crier Ben Fry said he was caught in the jam for around 45 minutes.

"Everything ground to a halt,” he said, "I was instantly amused that a goat managed to close one of the busiest junctions in the country. I guess the moral is never be surprised what will cause a problem on the M62."

The animal was eventually apprehended by police 90 minutes after first being reported.

Mr Fry said police were driving up and down the motorway looking for the animal before traffic was released again just before 9pm.

It comes less than six months after a group of runaway horses shut down a stretch of the M606 in nearby Bradford as they galloped the wrong way along the motorway.

Horses gallop down motorway on Easter Sunday

West Yorkshire Police said at the time that animals, which escaped from a nearby farm, had strayed onto both carriageways of the M606 just outside the west Yorkshire city, early on Easter Sunday morning.

“It was absolutely surreal,” one driver said. “I was just driving along listening to the radio when I saw these shapes in the distance. When I realised they were horses I just could not believe it. I joined the other drivers in the hard shoulder as one after the other galloped past.”

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