MYSTERY surrounds how an ostrich came to be on a stretch of main road yesterday during rush hour.

The bird was wandering on Leven Bank, between Ingleby Barwick and Yarm, Teesside, at 7.45am, when it was struck by a car.

Motorists pulled over and tried to wrestle the injured bird to the ground while a vet from the Oaklands Surgery, in Ingleby Barwick, was called.

The ostrich died at the scene.

A police spokeswoman said they were trying to discover why the ostrich was on the road and where it had come from.

There was confusion initially as to whether the bird was an emu or an ostrich, but the police spokeswoman confirmed it was an ostrich.

People at the nearby Fox Covert pub had heard of the accident but were unable to say where the ostrich had come from, as was the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust.

Anyone who knows where the ostrich is from is asked to contact The Northern Echo's Stockton office on (01642) 675678.