Police carrying riot shields ushered an injured swan out of the way of moving traffic after it collided with a car.

Officers were called to protect the bird in Vauxhall Road, Canterbury, after it flew into a vehicle shortly before 12.30pm yesterday.

A police spokesman said the bird was injured in the collision, so two PCs helped a member of the public keep the swan safe for 30 minutes until the RSPCA arrived.

RSPCA inspector Clive Hopwood told KentOnline: "When I arrived, the police had corralled the young swan safely onto the side of the road, out of the way of passing cars.

"I was able to gently contain the bird in one of our swan bags and then transported him to a local vet.

"Amazingly, he was almost unscathed by his collision with the car, with nothing broken - just a graze on his wing. We treated him with painkillers.

"The young swan narrowly escaped with his life and will be returned to the wild after rehabilitation.

"We’re really pleased this incident has a happy ending, but it could have ended very differently."

Any information on how to deal with injured animals can be found on the RSPCA website.