April Fool's Day jokers have painted a zebra crossing across three lanes of a motorway.

Police said the fake crossing was discovered on the M3 between Junction 4 and 4A on the northbound carriageway near Farnborough in Hampshire.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: "I don't know how they managed to do it without being caught. I think they must have done it some time last night.

"The surprising thing is we've had no calls from the public."

High-pressure hoses

Maintenance workers were called in try to remove the white paint with high-pressure hoses.

Police said the jokers used emulsion rather than gloss, which makes it easier to tackle.

The spokeswoman added: "I don't know if anyone is going to use the crossing but we do get a lot of ducks down there so perhaps they will appreciate it."