A boy who was forced to celebrate his birthday stuck in traffic on the motorway was bowled over when a bowling alley offered him a free party.

Theo Yates was on his way to Hollywood Bowl on the Medway Valley Leisure Park to celebrate his ninth birthday with family when traffic on the M2 came to a standstill one evening in early July.

After three hours of waiting to come off at the junction for the bowling alley, Theo’s mum Danielle decided to abandon the plans.

She then presented him with his birthday cake on the side of the carriageway.

Fellow motorists got out of their car during the jam and began singing Happy Birthday.

Danielle, of Nelson Avenue, Minster, said: “We couldn’t go bowling because it was too late, I think we left about 7pm.

“He was a bit upset. My mum travelled from Bognor Regis and she had to go back that night.”

Theo, a pupil at Queenborough School, was due to celebrate with his two grandmothers, five-year-old brother Bobby and Danielle’s friend.

Once the bowling alley realised that he had missed out, they got in touch with Danielle to offer him another party,

She said: “I had a phone call from the bowling alley’s head office.

“They said as he had missed out, they wanted to throw him a party.”

Theo had his second chance at turning nine when the family visited the bowling alley earlier last month.

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