Watch baby swan get escorted out of busy city centre by police
This swan caused a stir in a busy city centre as it was escorted past shoppers by three police officers.
Locals were left baffled when the officers were spotted carefully ushering the cygnet through the busy streets of Bath city centre on Sunday.
One used a fluorescent police jacket to gently usher the swan towards the nearby River Avon, causing a flap as shoppers pulled out their phones to snap the scene.
The scene was reminiscent of 2007 comedy film Hot Fuzz starring Simon Pegg in which police officers have to round up a swan.
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."
Weird and wonderful animal rescues
It's not the first time an animal has found itself in a predicament and needed to be helped to safety.
In January the RSPCA revealed London’s wackiest animal rescues of 2022 - including a tarantula on London Bridge and plenty of "foxy" drama.
Hilarious pictures show hapless pets and wild animals trapped in bizarre places before being freed by baffled rescuers.
They included a fox that slipped over garden furniture and got his leg stuck in Ealing, West London, a fox found curled up inside a brand of B&Q in Peckham and a tarantula discovered on a train arriving at London Bridge station.
Throughout 2022, the RSPCA received nearly 300,000 reports of trapped animals - one of its busiest ever years.
