A man has saved the life of a bird that mistook a stretch of road for a river.

Late afternoon traffic heading along Aylsham Road towards Norwich city centre was held at a standstill by a young swan sitting in the middle of the street.

The signet seemed in a daze as it stared at the oncoming cars outside the Mecca Bingo Hall.

Thankfully, a local electrician stepped in to rescue the bird.

John managed to catch the swan and move it to safetyJohn managed to catch the swan and move it to safety (Image: Helen Simpson) John Coles, 57, said: "I was driving home along the road at about 6.30pm and I could see that there was a really big queue of traffic ahead.

"A grey swan was sitting in the middle of the carriageway, and people couldn't get around it.

"It was definitely distressed but it didn't appear to be hurt."

Luckily, John spent 14 years working as a wildlife liaison officer for the Norfolk police and lived on a farm at 18 years old - where he learned how to dodge any nips from the geese.

He explained that, especially when road surfaces are wet, swans can sometimes mistake them for rivers when they are flying. 

He managed to pick the swan up by holding its neck and scooping up his body under his arm, before carrying it away from the road.

"I got it back to my van and someone helped me wrap its wings in my jacket," John explained.

They managed to wrap the swan in John's coatThey managed to wrap the swan in John's coat (Image: John Coles) "I was glad that I had waterproof seats - it had grown so distressed that it was dribbling from its nose.

"It got quite cuddly though.

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"At one point it had relaxed so much that it laid its head back."

The pair waited for around 45 minutes for someone from Norfolk Wildlife Rescue to come and collect the swan. 

The swan relaxed enough to lay its head back and give John a cuddleThe swan relaxed enough to lay its head back and give John a cuddle (Image: John Coles) When he arrived, he said that he had just picked up a swan in a similar situation in nearby Mile Cross Road, and had it in the back of his van.

John said: "I love wildlife and would have helped whatever was in the road. 

"People are cautious of swans because they can nip and have strong wings, but there will always be someone who knows what to do."