Stunned people cud not believe their eyes when they saw a calf running freely along one of Sittingbourne's busiest streets.

Witness Stuart Waite was on his way to work when he saw the animal heading down London Road towards the town centre before turning into Chalkwell Road.

Udderly surprised by what he was seeing, he milked the moment and took pictures of it moo-ving along the street.

Thankfully, drivers in both directions had slowed down in both directions - otherwise the steaks could have been a lot higher due to it having a free reign of the highway.

Now the cow - being delivered to a school farm after being bought at market - has been nicknamed Bolt after sprinter Usain Bolt.

Mr Waite, who works as a controller for Cab-It in West Street, said: "I was just walking out the front door when I looked up the road and I saw this cow wandering around.

"It was walking slow then gathering speed. I think it was panicked. Then it turned into Chalkwell Road. It was going pretty fast. I think it could have done some damage to a car if it had run in to one.

"It carried on going then disappeared in the distance. I had to go to work so I couldn't follow it. Once it made off, the traffic started moving no problem. I was shocked."

Teresa Simler, landlady of the King's Head at the junction of London Road and Chalkwell Road, said: "Someone who had just left the pub, rang and said they'd just seen a cow walking past.

"We were like 'you what'? But when we went out and looked it had gone.

"Then someone was on Facebook and said to me 'have you seen this?' and there was a picture of it passing the pub."

Andre Lowe, owner of Discount Tyres in Chalkwell Road, was in his office when he saw it go past the window at about 4.30pm on Tuesday.

He said: "I went out the front and had a look and it was continuing down the road. It's not something you see everyday. It was a bit random."

Kent Police could be forgiven for thinking it was a cock and bull story when reports started coming in about the incident.

But officers sent to the scene quickly discovered it was no trick and eventually cornered the steer in Cloisters Road, off West Street, close to the one-way system.

The one-year-old castrated male, which had been bought from Ashford market earlier that day, was being delivered to the Westlands School's farm when it made its great escape.

It was being unloaded from a trailer at the site in Westlands Avenue, Sittingbourne, when it bolted through a fence, across a field and out a gate on to Cryalls Lane before turning right on to the A2.

Farm technician Sue Hodkinson sent stockmen Nick Richardson and Reece Millington after it on foot. Once caught she drove to the location to collect the cow.

She said: "We took it back to Westlands Farm, and placed it in a barn to settle in with some other cows.

"This is the first time an animal has ever escaped from the school site but luckily no damage or injury has resulted. On a lighter note we have decided to name the calf Bolt, after Usain Bolt the sprinter."

Head teacher Simon Cox said: "I would like to apologise to any member of the public for any inconvenience. I can confirm that Bolt is safe, secure and settling into life on the farm."