A public appeal to help a pregnant lurcher who was badly hurt in a hit-and-run with a van has more than trebled its fundraising target.

Durham Police officers took the dog for treatment after she was broke a leg and suffered serious, painful cuts after she was knocked down in Harelaw, Stanley, on Saturday morning.

She lost her puppies due to the trauma of her injuries, but is now making progress after receiving care from vets.

Police started an online donation fund and had a target of £1,000 to pay for the lurcher's treatment. The figure now stands at more than £3,500.

Staff at the Prince Bishops vets in Leadgate have renamed the dog - whose owners remain unknown - Molly.

The Dogs Trust agreed to underwrite the initial cost of Molly's care. The charity will now receive the surplus cash to help other dogs.

On Facebook, the Stanley Neighbourhood Police Team said: "It's amazing to see how people are pulling together to help Molly.

"We have flown past our target and the donations to the Dogs Trust are continuing to come in to the Just Giving site.

"This is great as it will give more dogs like Molly the care they need. We have also have lots of people in the Stanley area holding raffles and collecting nice dog treats in hampers to give to Molly and her friends."

The donation page is at https://www.justgiving.com/Mollycoddle