It is not clear if an apology has been forthcoming from the swan

Motorists were forced to swerve to miss a swan which landed on the carriageway at junction 6 near Windsor, Berkshire.

The bird then waddled across all three lanes of the motorway while drivers tried to avoid it.

The queues stretched back all the way from the Windsor turning to junction 11 at Reading.

'Common problem'

Richard Freeman from the AA said: "Its a common problem with swans. They land on the road as they are fooled into thinking it is water by the shininess of the surface.

"These are big birds and they are incapable of taking off from solid ground"

In June, the police were called to help rescue a swan which was stranded between junctions 11 and 12 of the M4.

Under a ancient charter swans are owned by the Crown and are also protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Anyone who knocks down a swan is required by law to check if the animal requires veterinary treatment.