MOTORWAY traffic was brought to a standstill this morning as a family of geese took a stroll along the A1 in North Yorkshire.

The geese were spotted on the northbound carriageway of the A1 near the Catterick junction 52 at around 9am this morning (Saturday, June 2).

The northbound lanes were shut temporarily while traffic officers moved the geese to safety.

Some motorists took to social media to question the need to shut the road, but Highways England responded saying the geese posed "a big safety risk to traffic" and were highly likely to cause a crash if they were to be hit or if drivers swerved to avoid them.

The family of around 20 geese and goslings were safely removed within an hour and the road reopened to traffic.