This is the astonishing moment a crocodile caused a traffic jam - holding up cars while it crossed the road.

The reptile named ‘Juancho’ walked out of rain channel in Tampico, Mexico, on Tuesday (11/06) evening.

Drivers had to stop and wait as the 10ft long beast ambled over to the other side of the highway to try and reach the Laguna del Carpintero lake.

Footage shows how police arrived and blew their whistles to keep residents away from the crocodile.

The reptile appeared to take a breather by lying in the middle of the road before carrying on his walk, causing concern about where he was going.

One resident told local media: "We saw the crocodile since it left the lagoon. Nothing happened but then he crossed the street stopping the motorists from driving, it was huge.’’

Onlooker Claudia Batiz said: ‘’This is the beauty of living in Tampico!’’

The incident was filmed on the Boulevard Fidel Velázquez during the busy evening rush hour with hundreds of people using the popular beauty spot.

The emergency services arrived on the scene after several people called for help.

When the crocodile started walking away from the lake, firemen eventually pounced on him and strapped his mouth shut and covered his head with a sack.

Once they subdued Juancho, firemen dragged him to the lagoon and released him back into the water.

Finally, the road was reopened in both directions, freeing traffic that had been jammed for several minutes.

This is the astonishing moment a crocodile caused a traffic jam - holding up cars while it crossed the road.

The killer reptile named ‘Juancho’ walked out of rain channel in Tampico, Mexico, on Tuesday (11/06) evening.

Terrified drivers had to stop and wait as the 10ft long beast ambled over to the other side of the highway to try and reach the Laguna del Carpintero lake.

Footage shows how several police arrived and blew their whistles to keep residents away from the crocodile, named ’Juancho’.

The reptile appeared to take a breather by laying in the middle of the road before carrying on his walk, causing concern about where he was going.

One resident told local media: "We saw the crocodile since it left the lagoon. Nothing happened then he crossed the street stopping the motorists from driver, it was huge.’’

Onlooker Claudia Batiz said: ‘’This is the beauty of living in Tampico!’’

The incident was filmed on the Boulevard Fidel Velázquez during the busy evening rush hour with hundreds of people using the popular beauty spot.

The emergency services arrived on the scene after several people called for help.

When the crocodile started walking away from the lake, firemen eventually pounced on him and strapped his mouth shut and covered his head with a sack.

Once they subdued Juancho, firemen dragged him to the lagoon and released him back into the water.

Finally, the road was reopened in both directions, freeing traffic that had been jammed for several minutes.