DRIVERS were left facing long queues along the A419 on Saturday morning as several plane fuselages were escorted through the area.

The two Boeing 747 fuselages were being taken from Cotswold Airport in Kemble to Hereford.

Slowly making their way towards the M4, the huge loads took up the entire southbound lane of the A419 for almost four hours, leading to long tailbacks for early morning drivers.

Wiltshire Police was on hand to make sure the load was transported safely while also managing the traffic, with the escort made up of volunteer officers working on their day off.

Wiltshire Police confirmed they were paid for by the haulier, so there was no cost to the taxpayer.

The load set off at dawn from Kemble, at around 7am, just as the sun was rising.

Travelling at less than 10mph, the two fuselages edged along the A429 at Cirencester before joining the A419 a short time later.

While the operation led to hold-ups for vehicles, plane enthusiasts and photographers gathered to watch the impressive sight along the way.

A police warning went out in advance warning motorists about the possible delays, especially for road users who might have a flight to catch, but there were still queues of more than a mile.

Each of the items weighed around 60 tonnes and were carried on separate transporters.

Each transporter and its load measured 6.55 metres wide, 4.95 metres high with an overall length of 41.66 metres.

Due to its size there was nowhere for vehicles to pass so drivers had no other option than to follow, although the police control room gave regular updates as to how the load was progressing.

As well as travelling in front of the two transporters, police vehicles moved in advance to control the amount of traffic that joined the A419 ahead of the moving transporters.

This in turn led to several hold-ups for motorists who were trying to get onto the road.

Wiltshire Police handed over control of the load to the British Transport Police shortly before 10.30am.

Although there were long queues of traffic, police reported the operation went to plan and there were no other hiccups along the way.

Upon reaching the M4 at junction 15, the two fuselages were then taken westbound as they trundled to their destination.