7000 Freedom-Seeking Chickens Just Closed A Motorway

Chick Chick Chick Chick #Chicken, lay a little egg for me..... on the #m62 pic.twitter.com/uUAnOwVHcZ

— Lee Welch (@thisisleewelch) May 14, 2014

Thousands of commuters in the north of England had an incredibly bizarre excuse for being late to work today. At 4am a lorry carrying around 6800 chickens crashed into the centre barrier, shedding its load onto the highway.

Sadly, about 1500 chickens died on impact, but many of the survivors made a break for freedom. With transportation crates thrown across all four lanes of the M62, early morning commuters travelling in both directions suddenly found themselves involved in the operation to roundup escapees.

What happens when chickens cross the motorway? You get two chickens in your car. #chickens #m62 #accident #funny pic.twitter.com/nSHud8PKsK

— Carlos W Romero (@CarlosWRomero) May 14, 2014

Some of the chickens seized the opportunity to avoid ending up in someone's roast dinner by jumping into stopped cars. The Highways Agency reported that while most of the chickens were rounded up, many likely sought refuge in the neighbouring fields.