POLICE are hunting a hit-and-run driver who killed a puppy and almost struck its ten-year-old owner.

Jamie Perrie fell to his knees in despair when he saw the dark red Nissan Juke style 4x4 vehicle hit his eight-month-old miniature Jack Russell, Pinky Rainbow.

Officers believe the car had been travelling at speed on the wrong side of the road when the incident happened just after 10.15am on Sunday on Hollyhill Gardens West in the direction on Lenin Terrace, in Stanley, County Durham.

It happened yards from Jamie’s house and the youngster had been chasing the dog after it escaped.

Jamie’s mother, Rebecca Perrie, said: “He ran out to catch her and the car has come along and smashed into the dog. He fell to his knees because he was so devastated that the dog had been ran over and the car has kept on going. It could have been even worse. He could have very easily hit Jamie.”

The dog was a family pet and belonged to Jamie and his brother, Ryan, seven, and four-year-old Sian, who live with their mother.

The incident has left Jamie, who attends St Mary’s Primary School traumatised, and the dog’s sister, Dotty Rainbow, is scared to go outside and just cowers in the house.

Ms Perrie said: “Jamie is not doing well at all. He is waking up screaming. He can only remember Pinky getting hit by the car and cannot remember playing with her.

"That is his only image of her. He is absolutely devastated. Bless him. It is heartbreaking, it really is.

"You would have thought the driver would have had the heart to stop, but not everyone is decent these days. I would urge people to do the right thing and help us find out who did this.”

Sergeant Dave Clarke, of Stanley Police, is also appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

He said: “It is horrendous to think that a little boy had to witness his dog being killed in front of him. It beggars belief that somebody could do this and there is no way he would not have realised.

“I am going to leave no stone unturned to find the person responsible for this cowardly act, which has left a little boy crying next to his dead dog.”

Anyone with information is asked to 101, quoting incident number: DHM-2510-2015-0205.