Police have real life ‘Hot Fuzz’ moment as officers escort lost swan to river

Three police officers found themselves in the middle of a real-life Hot Fuzz moment when they were called in to escort a lost swan in Bath city centre.

The cygnet caused a flap among shoppers when it wandered into the middle of a Bath on Sunday afternoon.

Police officers had to round up the swan, much like the iconic scene in the action comedy movie Hot Fuzz, where Simon Pegg who plays bored police officer Nicholas Angel is called in by ‘P.I. Staker’ to chase down a missing bird in the fictional village of Sandford, Gloucestershire, with little success.

Hot Fuzz was filmed just 19 miles away from Bath in the Cathedral city of Wells, Somerset.

Avon and Somerset police appeared to handle the situation more smoothly than Constable Angel as three officers moved the bird on towards the nearby River Avon.

One used a fluorescent police jacket to gently usher the wayward swan towards the river as shoppers pulled out their phones to snap the scene.

Local Simon Galloway, 49, said: “I was just out shopping with my wife and daughter – and we noticed a bit of commotion outside the shop.

“That was when we saw a cygnet being escorted down the street – presumably down to the river.

“There were loads of shoppers around, everyone had their phones out, laughing.

“A few dog walkers seemed quite amused, too.”

Talk TV host Rosanna Lockwood shared on X, formerly Twitter: “Ladies and Gentlemen, my hometown.”

Facebook user Jason Greenwood commented: “P I Staker will be happy to have the swan back,” while social media user Simon Lord Acher commented: “The council will be putting in new swanonly lanes next.”