AN INVESTIGATION was under way yesterday after three horses were killed when a lorry crashed into them on a busy dual carriageway.

A fourth horse was injured in the incident, but it was saved and was recovering at an animal sanctuary last night.

The carnage brought early morning traffic to a standstill on the A19 at Osmotherley, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and the northbound carriageway remained closed for several hours.

It emerged that the accident may have been sparked because of an aborted attempt to steal the animals from a farm.

Police received calls about horses straying on the road and were on their way to the scene when the collision took place.

A lorry operated by Excel Logistics, and heading for Teesside, struck the animals shortly before 2.30am. The vehicle then swerved off the road and ended up in a field.

The driver was freed from his cab by fire fighters. He was taken to the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, where he was detained for treatment. He is understood to have leg injuries.

Traffic delays were compounded when water used to clear the scene froze on the road surface.

Police later established that the horses were owned by a farmer who lives in the Ellerbeck area, and investigations are continuing to discover how the animals strayed onto the carriageway.

Tyre tracks were found by the field, and it is believed would-be thieves were disturbed and left the gate open.

The three horses killed were on the northbound carriageway of the road while the fourth, which survived, was on the southbound.

The road was closed again from 9am until almost noon to allow further work to be carried out