Safety first for all creatures great and small

~ Director of industrial fire and gas safety company becomes a minor media star after rescuing an angry swan from the busy M4 ~

Industrial Design’s Mike Fikuart was driving to work on the busy M4 motorway last month when his journey came to an abrupt standstill. A swan had made its way onto the road and taken up residence, refusing to move and adding to the already congested traffic. Little did Fikuart know that his actions that morning would be the cause of fifteen minutes of fame when he stepped in to help; safely guiding the swan off the motorway! 

Mike Fikuart takes matters into his own hands and clears traffic

As the traffic crawled past junction three at Hayes, west London, and the bird strolled gracefully along enjoying the sunny weather, Fikuart waited in his car like all the other commuters. After pausing on the middle lane, the swan extended its wings to slow the approach of an oncoming lorry.

Fikuart then decided to take matters into his own hands and help the poor creature off the road. He got out and escorted the confused bird across the hard shoulder to safety. As he did so, a freelance photographer snapped him in action and later sold the photos to the Daily Mail, Metro and several local papers who all later published the story.

“The M4 seems to be the place where I spend most of my time,” joked Fikuart. “I was fed up waiting and decided to do something. I was in a rush to get to a meeting and I feared for the swan’s safety; it looked very confused and scared because of all the noise and commotion around it,” concluded Fikuart.

The swan went down the bank to the quiet seclusion of the Grand Union Canal Way in search of a more ‘bird-friendly’ habitat.

Following health and safety procedures until the end