A MOBILE home - which turned out to be not so mobile after it got wedged in a narrow country lane - has been moved on after a painstaking-eight hour operation.

An army of around 20 volunteers turned out to help shift the 45ft long mobile home on a low loader yesterday after it became stuck in Vernons Road, Chappel, on Saturday morning.

The calamity left the road completely blocked and police were called after the vehicle been seemingly abandoned.

But at 8am yesterday, members of the Orchard Place traveller site, where the home had been destined for, attached the loader to a resident's tractor to begin the long process of towing it onward.

As the monstrosity crawled along the lane, volunteers clipped back hedgerows in a bid to make the transition smoother.

It was expected the home and loader would reach their destination before dark.

By 1pm, they had travelled about 100 yards along the lane.

At one stage a volunteer climbed onto the roof of the mobile home to saw off large tree branches causing an obstruction.

Residents at Orchard Place said a contractor - paid £2,500 to deliver the mobile home there - abandoned it on Saturday.

He allegedly failed to deliver on his promise to return on Sunday morning to move it, saying the earliest he could do so was this Friday.

The hand me down home, from another traveller community, was intended for a resident at Orchard Place who would only give his name as "Tom" to the Gazette.

He said: "Ever since we have been looking for a company to come and move it.

"The police gave us today to remove it or it was going to be taken away.

"We have got friends and family to help us."

Also pitching in was Paul Richardson, who lives in Fordham and who borrowed the towing tractor from a friend.

He said: "I saw Tom along the road, he asked if I could get a tractor. We have been trying to tow it all day."

Community members also stopped by to deliver teas, coffees and sandwiches to the towing crew.

Vernons Road has two access points from the A1124 Colchester Road.

Peter Chillingworth, Colchester councillor who lives 300 yards from where the loader got stuck, said the contractors used the narrower route.

Motorists were forced to turn back via Chappel.