This is the moment rush hour traffic on the M25 was brought to a standstill – by four rampaging horses.
The galloping animals went charging along Britain’s busiest road at around 7.30am.
Delays of up to 50 minutes were caused between junction 24 near Potters Bar in Herts., and junction 26 near Waltham Abbey in Essex.
Police were called to the scene and enforced a rolling road block to round-up the horses who were trotting along the anticlockwise carriageway.
Dozens of motorists took to Twitter to post pictures of the bizarre spectacle.
Driver Jack Moon wrote: “Horses on M25 different kind of traffic! Lol”
Jack Moon who took the amazing images said he could not believe it when he saw the horses trotting along the road.
He said: “I was sat in traffic for quite a while seeing the signs saying animals in the road but I have seen them before so didn’t really believe it.
“You never usually see anything.
“But when the traffic came to a standstill I was stunned to see the horses being ushered down the carriageway by the police car and a highways agency 4×4.
“You could see people were getting angry with being stuck in traffic until they saw the horses then you could see their attitude change.
“It was so unreal you had to smile.
“The traffic on the side of the horses was at least 13 miles back up the carriageway it was incredible.”
According to the highways agency the horses caused a whopping 13.5 mile tail back from junction 23 to junction 26.
A spokeswoman for the highways agency said: “The M25 was closed in both directions between junctions 22 and 23 for just under an hour this morning as the Highways Agency assisted the police to safely remove four horses from the carriageway.
“The horses were moved to the anti-clockwise exit slip road at junction 22 which then reopened an hour later.”
Police confirmed that the owner of the horses had been informed and was liasing with officers to get them to safety.
Cops arrived at the scene at about 7.25 and ushered the animals, which are from the potters bar area, to an exit slip road at junction 22.
The horses where then penned in and kept on the slip road until a horse box was called to carry them away at about 9am.
Officers from Hertfordshire Police also confirmed that they were investigating whether any offences had taken place under the highways act.
A police spokeswoman said: “We were contacted at 7.16am with reports of three horses loose on the carriageway,” a spokesman for Hertfordshire Police told H&H.
“But when we arrived there were four animals, which we then herded into the junction 22 slip road before they were picked up and taken to a safe place.
“The owner of the horses has been in contact with police and is currently liasing with officers.
“We believe the horses are from the Potters Bar area.
“A team is investigating whether any offences took place under the highways act.”
