Matilda the pig trots along Brock Hill, Wickford, in great escape

Matilda, the seven-year-old Kunekune, stopped traffic while trotting along Brock Hill in Wickford on Monday afternoon.

Owners, Leona Craske and her dad Graham, were as shocked as passing drivers when a neighbour knocked on the door to inform them of the “great escape”.

Having fled through an unsecured gate, the pig enjoyed a short-lived 20-minute trip out, munching on weeds along her journey.

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Leona, 18, said: “It’s certainly not something you see everyday that’s for sure.

“Our two pigs Matilda and Mutley have their own pen in the garden, and sometimes we let them out of there.

“There’s a gate at the bottom of our garden and it wasn’t closed properly, so she saw her chance and ran through the gate and onto the road.

“It’s the first time she’s ever done something like this since we’ve had her. It turns out she was stopping to eat the grass on the side of the road and went to the neighbours to eat the weeds in their front garden.”

After finding her in a neighbours garden, Graham, 59, made a failed attempt to coax her back home with grapes.

The family have had Matilda and Mutley for eight years.

He said: “We’re really not sure how she got in their garden, we were completely oblivious to the great escape but just relieved she wasn’t hurt or nobody else was hurt.

“Getting her back was always going to be a job, especially making them go where you want them to go. They’re very clever and stubborn.

“I put a board to the side of her and moved it left and right to guide her back. I tried grapes but she knew what was coming and was clearly enjoying the weeds.

“It’s certainly a story to tell, but it’s safe to say we’ll be making sure our security is a lot better from now on.”