This is the astonishing moment stunned drivers were forced to avoid an escaped alpaca running along a busy motorway - before it spat at police in China.

Surveillance camera footage shows the runaway animal causing a traffic jam in the Xiangjiang New Area, in the city of Changsha, in Hunan Province at around 4pm on Tuesday, December 5.

In the video, the animal can be seen running frantically on the busy road and even randomly changing lanes, before it was caught by officers from the Traffic Police Department.

Police said they captured the animal together with bystanders who helped them surround it on a nearby pavement before they put a rope around its neck.

Local media revealed that during the capture the seemingly frightened animal kept spitting at people, including the policemen, to show its dominance before police took it away.

It was not disclosed whether it was taken back to its owners or transferred to an animal shelter.