Two horses were killed on a busy road when they tried to escape the wreckage of their overturned trailer.

The A1 was closed for a time to northbound traffic after the incident near Morpeth in Northumberland on Sunday afternoon.

The two animals scrambled from the wreckage, but were killed when they were struck by passing vehicles.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said no motorists were hurt in the incident, which happened at about noon.