A woman who helped round up an escaped pig after it broke out of its pen in a County Durham village has documented the 'scary' and 'funny' moment. 

When Gemma Louise Moutter walked out of her house in Easington on Thursday (July 13) morning, she didn't expect to come face to face with a pig.

However, that's exactly what happened. 

After escaping from a nearby field, the farm animal went on an adventure, walking down near Easington Welfare Club, before continuing on Seaside Lane.

Read more: Pig escapes its pen in Easington and wanders streets

At every step of the pig's journey, the animal was pictured and videoed by interested members of the public, who kep the rest of Easington informed on the local Facebook community board. 

Despite many finding the funny side of the adventure, with some saying: "Only in Easington" and "It's heading to the pub," some were concerned for the animal's safety. 

After running a rampage in the village for around an hour and a half, Gemma was part of several Easington residents who helped to bring the pig to safety. 

While Gemma was on her way back from a night shift at the time of the pig's 'houdini moment', she still stuck around to make sure the pig wasn't harmed. 

The Northern Echo: Gemma with the escaped pig Gemma with the escaped pig (Image: GEMMA LOUISE MOUTTER)

Speaking to The Northern Echo, Gemma, who has been named 'The Dr Doolittle of Easington by several residents for her love of animals, said: "I was heading home from work and I could hear this large grunt behind me, and I wasn't expecting to see a pig behind me.

"Because it was rush hour and around the time of the school run, I couldn't leave it and let it maybe get knocked down."

Equipped only with a calm voice and a little knowledge of pigs, having left the house without her phone, Gemma was able to call her friend Anthony on a kind-hearted strangers' phone and acquire help from a few more locals. 

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With a small team of helpers, Gemma managed to get some carrots from the shop to try and coax the pig back towards its home in nearby South Hetton.  

However, she now admits that she was a mix of "very scared" and "wanting to help".

Gemma added: "We can have a laugh about it now, but it was a big pig and had large teeth. A bus owner asked me why I was walking my pig, I didn't quite have time to explain that it wasn't mine.

"You don't expect to see a pig in the middle of the road in a built-up area, and I'm glad we could help it get home."

Thankfully for the pig, Gemma and the rest of Easington, the pig was returned back to its owner with no one injured and a funny story to tell friends and family.