Drivers found themselves stuck in traffic for a rather unusual reason when a giant inflatable Santa drifted onto Cromwell Road early on Tuesday, Nov. 27.
The floating Saint Nick broke free from its moorings and drifted onto a busy road in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, blocking it in both directions for some time.
Taxi driver Muhammad Fareed captured the moment on camera as he waited in traffic.
“I saw it wobble and then come down on to the road—it did raise a smile,” he told BBC.
“It was one of the more unusual reasons to be stuck in traffic,” he said.
In the day’s traffic report, local journalists cited slow traffic, partial blocks, and a “large inflatable Santa on road.”
Not your standard #traffic alert. Take care if you're driving through #Wisbech. Santa Claus has come to town… pic.twitter.com/m49PXrES8r
— Mark Summers (@marksummers24) November 27, 2018
Even the AA made sure to alert people in the area about the unusual sight that was causing the hold up in traffic.
The alert stated the road was “partially blocked and slow traffic due to a large inflatable Santa on B198 Cromwell Road both ways in Wisbech.”
While some were able to maneuver their way around the massive Father Christmas, most were brought to a complete halt.
“It was massive, bigger than my seven-seater car,” Fareed said.
By the time Fareed, father of three from Peterborough, passed the scene, two men were already attempting to pull the giant inflatable Santa off the road.
There is still almost a month before Santa has to make his official appearance to deliver presents for Christmas. Perhaps Saint Nick wanted a test-run.
