Traffic on the M27 in Hampshire was brought grinding to a halt at junction 1 near Cadnam this afternoon after a man decided to sunbathe next to his broken-down van.

Presumably the sun had gone to the chap’s head, because for some reason he thought it was OK to soak up its rays on the westbound carriageway of the motorway.

Hampshire County Council’s Road Management System for Europe – ROMANSE – tweeted:

#M27 Westbound - All lanes BLOCKED at J1/#A31 #Cadnam due to a man sunbathing in the middle of the carriageway (no joke!), delays.

— ROMANSE (@ROMANSE) August 21, 2015

While Capital South Coast News tweeted:

There've been delays on the M27 WB at J1 Cadnam,reportedly cos of a man sunbathing in the middle of the road! Really? pic.twitter.com/kMneOboD6Z

— Capital S Coast News (@CapitalSCNews) August 21, 2015

Meanwhile, Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit had this sage advice:

If you break down on the motorway please get yourself to a safe place and don't lie next to your vehicle sunbathing!!! Advice given #21983

— Hants Roads Policing (@HantsPolRoads) August 21, 2015

The lanes were eventually reopened, but there were still lengthy delays as a result of the incident.

Main image: Google Street View