Footage of what appears to be a Deliveroo employee riding a bike along the Hertfordshire M25 has gone viral online.

Traffic bogged down by 40mph restricted speed signs can be seen beside a ‘report of cyclist’ warning near St Albans, before the camera pans to the delivery worker nonchalantly travelling along the hard shoulder.

The post published yesterday (May 12) at 1pm has been seen nearly 270,000 times and got over 250 comments on X.

“There are people in St Albans that eat lukewarm junk food?”, one wrote, while several others pointed out how they appeared not to be peddling – suggesting it was an electric bike.

Some saw the funny side, with one writing: “Someone in the traffic ordered food. Come on give the guy a medal for taking such a big chance to deliver on the motorway.”

Another added: “Somebody’s not going to get their food on time.”

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities seriously to ensure the safety of riders and the safety of the communities where we operate. We have investigated and this individual was not working with Deliveroo during this incident."

It is understood that Deliveroo riders are self-employed contractors and even though a rider is seen with a Deliveroo box, they could potentially not be working at the time.

Riders wearing the business's branding could also sometimes be independently contracted by a restaurant to carry out a delivery.

“During the onboarding process, every rider completes a programme of road safety guidance," the Deliveroo spokesperson added. "All riders are required to meet minimum safety standards and, as with all road users, they must follow Highway Code.”