Motorway drivers abandoned their cars to scoop up cash after a fortune in EUR-50 notes was sent flying onto the tarmac in a shunt.

Traffic came to a standstill on the highway in Marbella, Spain, when hundreds of the banknotes flew out of a car window and into the road.

Phone footage of the bizarre traffic jam – filmed on the A-7 motorway on 30th January – shows people abandoning cars and buses to grab handfuls of notes.

One eyewitness told local media: “At first we didn’t really know what was happening, but from above we could see the stopped cars and people getting out and bending down to pick something up.

“Then someone said that what was on the ground were 50 euro notes.”

According to local media, the banknotes flew out of a vehicle that had been involved in a minor accident.

Its occupants – reported to be two men of Arab origin – did not require medical treatment.

They told police they had been carrying EUR 20,000 (GBP 18,000) in a briefcase.

When their car was hit in the shunt, the briefcase snapped open, and some of the notes went flying through an open window.

But as they scrambled to collect the cash, they realised they were competing with others who wanted to keep it for themselves.

The exact amount they lost is unclear.

Local media said one bus passenger collected more than EUR 500 (GBP 440) alone.