There were scenes reminiscent of a famous film in Lynn this morning, as officers rescued a swan from a busy road.

West Norfolk Police quoted lines from Hot Fuzz – the 2007 comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as village police officers – about catching swans as they shared the news on social media this afternoon.

“This little feathered friend was rescued from Hardwick Road this morning and taken in the back of the van to the stream at the back of the allotments at Wardles Chase in Lynn,” the post on Facebook said.

The incident was reminiscent of a scene in the film, in which the two officers played by Pegg and Frost catch a missing swan after it disrupts traffic.

Officers pointed out that Wardles Chase was also the place where a man suspected of stealing chocolate and alcohol worth around £400 – including more than £70 worth of Creme Eggs – was arrested yesterday.

Subsequently, Korben Mortimer, 23, of Dawber Close in Gaywood, has been charged with 11 counts of retail theft and he was due at Norwich Magistrates’ Court this morning.

The Facebook post invited followers to share their own jokes about the swan rescue, including one who said: “It’s a mute subject!”