Trio of goats cause chaos as they stop motorway traffic

Three goats have brought traffic to a standstill on the M5 in Gloucestershire.

The trio of troublemakers ran onto the carriageway from nearby fields around Monday lunchtime.

Drivers faced delays of around an hour as police attempted to catch the animals between junctions 12 and 13 near Stroud.

National Highways and Gloucestershire police closed the section of the M5 at 1.14pm, and it reopened at 2.13pm.

Drivers got out of their vehicles to catch sight of the goats as traffic police tried to usher the animals to safety.

A National Highways spokesman said on social media: “Our traffic officers are dealing with three goats, which have got onto the motorway.”

In an update, the agency said: “Two have now been secured. Officers are trying to contain the last.”

Following a brief chase, officers were able to issue the all-clear, with National Highways saying: “The wandering goats have been secured and taken to a place away from the motorway.

“Sixty-minute delays north and 45 minutes south remain, but should begin to ease now. Thanks for your patience.”

The presence of the goats on the carriageway brought a smile to many drivers’ faces, even if they faced a longer than usual journey.

“It might have rained for five hours straight, I may not be able to feel my toes and I’ve not been able to find my phone all day, but at least there are goats on the M5 to cheer me up,” Shannon Brown, a reporter for Bristol Live, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

One local resident said: “I live right next to the M5 and there was a tonne of commotion, so I looked it up to see what was going on and there are goats escaped. All those sirens for three goats.”