Police slammed by locals for 'leaving a rogue swan unattended by busy road' which then caused car crash - turning one vehicle into a fireball
- Two vehicles crashed on the A3049, in Poole, Dorset, during rush hour traffic
Police have been slammed after they 'buggered off' and left a rogue swan unattended by a busy road, which then caused a car crash.
The sauntering bird waddled onto the A3049 in Poole, Dorset, during the morning rush hour yesterday when it 'confused the wet road for a river'.
A car swerved to avoid the swan and crashed into another vehicle, with one being turned into a fireball.
Now it has emerged worried motorists had called police at 6.20am - more than an hour before the smash - out of fear it could cause an accident.
Dorset Police officers arrived at the time with hazard lights flashing on their car to bring traffic to a crawl.
Having tried to 'coax it away', they then called 'relevant agencies' and left, according to one driver, leaving the bird on the side of the road.
But by 7.50am the swan was again in the road and a car swerved to avoid it and collided with another vehicle.
A crash on the A3049, in Poole, Dorset, can be seen in the distance with a swan waddling on the busy dual carriageway further ahead
Motorists say they had alerted police officers about the swan on the busy carriageway an hour before the crash. Officers arrived and left the swan on the side of the road. They called 'relevant agencies' and then left
But the swan waddled onto the road again and a car swerved to avoid it and collided with another vehicle
A red Vauxhall Corsa burst into flames moments after impact. The occupants suffered minor injuries and managed to escape from the burning car.
Many witnesses have slammed police saying the accident should not have happened, as officers were on the scene earlier in the morning but left before wildlife rescuers arrived.
Dorset Police said officers attended, found the swan was off the road and 'partner agencies were notified'. They then left.
Jess Middlecote phoned police at 6.23am on her way to work as she was worried the swan 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 to try to relocate it,' she said.
'Police then left and the swan wandered back into the road shortly after, and one car swerved around it, hitting a second car.'
The road was closed while fire crews put out the car fire, causing gridlock.
The occupants suffered minor injuries having managed to escape from the burning car which firefighters took less than 30 minutes to extinguish
The crash caused gridlock during the morning rush hour as emergency services raced to the area with black smoke seen billowing into the sky
A wildlife charity volunteer arrived at the scene after the crash but before she could capture the swan, it flew off seemingly uninjured.
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 buggered off. If that's the case then the accident is their fault.'
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 Police said they 'would not go into details about the cause of a collision'.
Dorset and 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 Dorset Police'.
