Motorway police are often tasked with removing debris from the road to make it safe for drivers.
That doesn't tend to involve rescuing items such as a Christmas tree.
But today (Monday 11) officers from North West Motorway Police on patrol spotted such an item dangerously close to a live lane of the motorway.
The Christmas tree even had its baubles still intact, police said.
It is not clear how the tree came to be on the motorway (particularly when Christmas ended two weeks ago) but it was safely removed by officers.
North West Motorway Police posted on Twitter: "Busy day so far, patrol came across a Christmas tree encroaching into live lanes, removed, and even had baubles intact.
The tweet prompted several puns from amused social media users including 'you sure it wasn't special branch,' and 'some of these things are just not fir.'
There are a number of suggestions for the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of a Christmas tree, including burning it or replanting it.
Dumping it on the motorway doesn't come under the list of recommendations though.
