Suffolk: Escaped reindeer that blocked A-road after fleeing Santa’s grotto attraction recaptured

Two reindeer, which caused a dual carriageway to be closed after escaping a Christmas attraction on a rural estate, have been caught. The animals hoofed it from Elveden Estate in Suffolk on Sunday, where they had been taken to be part of a Santa's grotto [1] event. The pair wandered on to the A11 near Barton Mills [2], forcing police to temporarily close the road in both directions at around 3.20pm on Sunday afternoon.

Officers from Suffolk Police took part in attempts to recapture the reindeer, which were paused overnight. Efforts resumed on Monday and the animals were caught by 12.05pm. National Highways East said on X on Sunday: "@suffolkpolice have closed the #A11 near #BartonMills in both directions between #A1134 #Thetford and #A1101 due to several deer loose in carriageway."

A spokeswoman for Elveden Estate said on Monday: "We knew where they were last night but obviously we were losing the light so we didn't want to spook them any more so we left them overnight. "Their owners came back this morning and after several hours they managed to coax them back to them." She added: "They brought another reindeer with them, and with food, but it took a long time."

Reports initially said a "large number" of reindeer were on the road, but Sarah Parry, of Elveden Farms said on Monday: "It was just two reindeer that we had hired for the weekend".

"They escaped from their handlers and have now been recaptured and taken home to Lincolnshire safe and sound," she said.

References

^ Santa's grotto (news.sky.com)
^ wandered on to the A11 near Barton Mills (news.sky.com)
^ Firefighters rescue deer stuck on frozen lakeNorway apologises to reindeer herders (news.sky.com)