A OWL was rescued by police after being hit on a road.

The bird of prey, believed to be a tawny owl, was found by a traffic officer with North Yorkshire Police on Friday evening, after being struck by a vehicle between Richmond and Catterick Garrison.

The officer, TC Martin Usher, wrapped up the owl in his fleece and took it back to his office. 

A spokesperson for the police said: “This lovely little fella was picked up by one of our traffic officers on Friday evening. He had sadly been struck by a vehicle between Richmond and Catterick Garrison and wasn’t in a good way.

“Our officer, TC Martin Usher, took off his fleece, wrapped it around the owl and took it back to his office where it then fell asleep between his fleece and shirt."

North Yorkshire Police said the owl has now been checked over by a specialist and will stay with the officer for the next few days while he builds his strength back up, before being re-released back into the wild.