AN Aycliffe Village family is distraught after an appeal for the return of pedigree dogs ended in heartbreak.

Dawn Myers made an appeal in The Northern Echo yesterday for the return of her German wire-haired pointer Spinner and her six-month-old puppy Piper.

The pair had not been seen since they chased after a rabbit in Aycliffe Quarry while walking with Mrs Myers' husband, Paul, last week.

Mrs Myers was hoping someone had taken the dogs in and offered a reward for their safe return.

But a railway worker who read the article contacted the family to say the pets had died.

Mrs Myers said: "We had a call from a Jarvis worker who had seen the appeal. He said the dogs had been found on the line on Friday and they were buried because they had no identification."