Rogue swan ‘left to wander’ caused road chaos
POLICE have been criticised after they left a rogue swan unattended by a busy dual carriageway causing a major crash.
The road had to be closed while emergency services dealt with the chaotic scene during Tuesday morning rush hour.
But many witnesses have slammed police saying the accident should not have happened, as officers were on the scene but left before wildlife rescuers arrived.
Motorists called the police to report the wandering swan on the A3049 in Poole, Dorset, at about 6.20am, fearing the bird might cause an accident.
Dorset Police said officers attended, found the swan was off the road and “partner agencies were notified”. They then left. But by 7.50am the swan was again in the road. A car swerved to avoid it and collided with another vehicle.
Jess Middlecote said: “I phoned the police at 6.23am on my way to work – I was worried it could cause an accident.
“Police arrived very shortly after, were there for some time trying to coax it away, but left it sat on the pavement next to the carriageway and called ‘relevant agencies’ (presumably something like the RSPB).
“Police then left. The swan wandered back into the road shortly after. One car swerved around it, hitting a second car.”
A red Vauxhall Corsa was engulfed by flames and smoke was seen billowing into the air. The road was closed while fire crews put out the fire, causing gridlock.
Fortunately, the occupants were able to escape and only suffered minor injuries.
A wildlife charity volunteer arrived at the scene after the crash but before she could capture the swan, it flew off.
Hazards
Witness Shaun Stockley said: “The police were with this swan before 7am, everything was fine then. They were on the road with hazards on and crawling at less than 5mph as and when the swan moved. They’ve obviously b ******* off. If that’s the case then the accident is their fault.”
Another, Isaac Digby, added: “No way they should have left the scene. I told them there had been a couple of near misses when I went past from people swerving etc and then an hour later this happens.”
Carol Abbott said: “The police were there earlier in the day and supposedly put the swan off the road then left.
“If they had sorted the problem out properly then the accident would not have happened.”
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service initially reported a “two vehicle road traffic collision caused by a swan in the carriageway” but later amended their statement to remove mention of the swan “following a conversation” with police.
Dorset Police said they “would not go into details about the cause of a collision”.
They have been contacted for further comment.