A dog has been killed on a County Durham A-road after escaping its home - with the driver of the vehicle who hit the pet fleeing the scene. 

The incident happened at around 1.40pm on Saturday (November 26) on the A693 between Morrison Busty roundabout and the Ox Public house, towards Stanley. 

At the scene, the dog, a black Lurcher-type dog was killed instantly after a white van collided with the animal. 

After the serious incident, the road was closed for a short time to allow the police, traffic wardens, and a vet to attend the scene. 

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It's believed that the driver of the van fled the scene after colliding with the dog.

The police and Durham County Council's wardens have since appealed for information about the dog and are looking for dashcam footage or eyewitness accounts from anyone that saw the serious incident.  

The wardens are also supporting the family of the dog, according to a post that they shared online over the weekend. 

In the post, the council wardens say: "At approximately 1.40pm on the A693 between Morrison Busty roundabout and The Ox public house a black Lurcher type dog was fatally injured after being hit by a white van which left the scene.

"Wardens assisted and arranged for a vet to attend whilst supporting the family, unfortunately, there was nothing the vet could do to save the dog’s life. If you witnessed the incident please get in touch with Police on 101."

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