A NEIGHBOURLY act brought almost a whole village on to the streets to restore a missing dog to her owner.

Former midwife Michelle Palmer was distraught when her lurcher, Maddison, went missing from her home in Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland.

The 18-month-old pet was struck by a car when she escaped through an open gate on Thursday afternoon.

As Ms Palmer combed the area, more than 50 villagers turned out to help, including youngsters who got on their bikes after school to extend the search area.

Four hours later, Maddision was back home, nursing a sore head, but otherwise unharmed.

Ms Palmer said: "Just about everybody in the village came out to look for her. She was spotted in a field by some children on their bikes. They all know how much she means to me and I can't thank them enough.

"Maddison is with me all the time because I had to retire from my job, and I don't know what I would have done without her."