McDonalds has a floater

2002-10-23 12:08

London - A eight-metre tall inflatable Ronald McDonald was on the loose in South Wales after it escaped from its roof-top home.

The brightly-coloured plastic clown, mascot of the McDonalds fast food chain, had been anchored to the roof of an outlet near the town of Newport, but when staff went to inflate it in the morning they found it had blown off.

At first it was feared to have settled on a nearby railway track which links South Wales to London.

"We received a call to warn us of the possibility of a large inflatable object lying on the track near Newport West," a spokesman for rail operator Railtrack said.

"At first our log showed it was a hamburger but it later emerged it was a Ronald McDonald. He said the search caused only a slight delay to trains. By nightfall, Ronald was still missing.

"We have no idea where he's got to," a McDonalds spokeswoman said. "We're offering a Big Mac to anyone who can give us information leading to his safe return."

- Reuters