Escaped pigs cause police to close main London road
It took around five hours to round up the animals after they made a bit for freedom down the A21
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Your support makes all the difference.Police were forced to close a major London road today after a herd of pigs escaped and ran amok on the carriageway.
Black-spotted piglets were among the animals roaming the A21 in the borough of Bromley for more than five hours, while one was seen wandering around a nearby golf course.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said a stretch of the dual carriageway leading from the M25 towards central London had to be shut as the animals were moved.
“Sevenoaks Road remains closed inbound between Hewitts Roundabout and Pratts Bottom due to pigs in the carriageway,” a Twitter update from Transport for London read.
They are thought to have escaped shortly after 10am and were not rounded up until around 3pm.
Local authorities are in contact with the pigs’ owners over the incident and several previous escapes that have occurred in the past week alone.
The RSPCA was called to help rescue efforts on Wednesday as up to 20 of the animals were found on the same stretch of the A21, near Knockholt railway station.
Anthony Pulfer, an inspector for the wildlife charity, urged people to keep pet pigs in secure enclosures after that incident.
“These pigs must have been so scared,” he said. “Luckily none of them were hurt, but it took us most of the day to round them all up and take them to safety.
“It is a good job this is a quieter time of year as this many pigs loose on such a main road was dangerous situation for motorists as well as the animals.
“Drivers go about 60 miles per hour on this road so there was a strong chance of a collision.”
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