Kitten rescued from motorway near Doncaster

A "feisty little" kitten is safe after being rescued by a traffic officer from the central reservation of a motorway.

National Highways' Gavin Buffam spotted the tiny black feline between junctions six and seven on the M18 northbound near Doncaster on Saturday, and managed to "scoop" it up.

Mr Buffam said concerned members of the public had called in during the day and he had been on the look out for the kitten.

Traffic on the road was eventually stopped to allow Mr Buffam to collect the wanderer, who has now been named Smudge.

"The third time I went out, I found it up against the concrete central reservation," Mr Buffam said.

"I went to grab it but it was very scared and ran off, so for my safety, the safety of road users and of course the kitten, another crew instigated a rolling road block to stop the traffic so I could try and get it.

"I managed to scoop it up eventually."

Mr Buffam added that Smudge was "a feisty little thing".

"Once it was in the car, it tried to bite my fingers a few times but I got it settled and took it back to the depot," he said.

"It was definitely a challenging job but I'm glad it's had a happy outcome even if the kitten is missing one of its nine lives."

The daughter of colleague at the depot took the kitten home, cleaned it and fed it.

They will take Smudge to the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) to check if it is microchipped and try to reunite it with its owner.

If the kitten is without a microchip or an owner cannot be identified, "it's safe to say there's a new addition to the family", a spokesperson from National Highways said.

If Smudge is confirmed to be male by the PDSA, it will be renamed Little Gav, after its rescuer.