A SCENE worthy of a Laurel and Hardy sketch played out in the centre of Watford yesterday (Thursday) afternoon after a skip lorry shed its load of bricks and mortar on the Town Hall roundabout.

The trail of bricks, stones and gravel stretched from the north Watford end of the roundabout to the bus stop at the top end of the High Street, where the blue lorry came to a rest just before 1pm.

Workers in hard hats were soon risking life and limb as they began clearing the debris with their bare hands in the middle of the road, before the arrival of a broom. Later, a shovel and a wheelbarrow helped them in their task.

Prior to the police coning off a lane and helping in the clean-up operation, some drivers remained seemingly oblivious to the obstructions on the road, careering over the mess caused by the lorry and sending stones flying in all directions.

By 1.30pm, the majority of the obstruction had been cleared and traffic flow on the roundabout was back to normal.