A huge swarm of bees ground rush hour traffic to a halt and triggered commuter chaos in Greenwich, southeast London, on the evening of 16 May.

Commuters rushed for cover – ducking to avoid the insects – as the swarm descended on Greenwich Church Street, close to Greenwich market.

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Abigail Hering, who runs Beadoir jewellery shop in Greenwich and posted a video of the swarm on Twitter told the Press Association that the spectacle was "absolutely crazy."

She said she had initially heard an "underlying humming" before she spotted the bees. "It was just literally swarming, above the cars around the one way system. While I was videoing them I looked down and I could see literally the front of me covered in bees. They were on me. They were on everybody. They were in your hair, on your top."

People were laughing and screaming as the bees remained in the area for at least an hour, she added.

A beekeeper arrived and used a portable hive to capture the insects.

Transport for London issued a travel alert on social media, urging commuters to approach a pedestrian crossing in Greenwich with caution as it was "partially obstructed by bees."