Siamese cat found in Essex garage 'hitchhiked' 280 miles

Ashley, the two-year-old Siamese cat, travelled 280 miles from North Wales to Essex

A cat that sparked a search by villagers in North Wales has been found 280 miles (450km) away - in a garage in Essex.

Ashley, a two-year-old Siamese, escaped through an open window of her home in Glan Conwy on 15 April.

She was discovered six days later by a family dog in the garage of Carol Monk's house in North Stifford.

Owner Dan Worsley, who travelled to get Ashley, said the family were "beside ourselves with joy" to have her home.

Mrs Monk, and her partner Allan Baker, were alerted after their dog Bobby began scratching and crying, and "very insistent there was something in our garage", she said.

She decided to contact a local group that helps reunite lost pets with their owners, called Pippa's Army, to check for a microchip.

The cat was scanned by volunteer Karen Keeves in Tilbury, who then contacted Ashley's owner in Wales.

Dan Worsley made the long journey from Wales to Essex on Monday to pick up Ashley

Mr Worsley believes Ashley, a two-year-old house cat, decided to make a dash for it when the cleaners left the bathroom window open and she jumped 15ft (4.6m) to the ground.

He and wife Val thought she was "asleep somewhere" - and did not realise at first that she had disappeared.

"The whole village, 4,000 people, were out looking for her, but not a trace," he said.

"The longer it went the more distraught we got, we thought we would never see her again."

Just how Ashley made her way across the breadth of England remains a mystery.

Allan Baker with Ashley the cat and Bobby - the dog who found her in the garage

Ms Keeves called Mr Worsley to come and get her. He said he believed the cat had "got into somebody's vehicle and hitchhiked to Essex".

Mr Worsley said he was "elated" to have her home, even though during the journey "she complained all the way to Newport Pagnell services".

Dan Worsley said "you couldn't make up" the adventure Ashley had been on