A64 bus stop shelter for donkey rescued from road

The two vets managed to get Murphy into a bus shelter to await his owner's arrival

An escaped donkey who strayed onto a dual carriageway was rescued by passing motorists who got him to safety in a nearby bus stop.

Amy Smith, 28, from Malton, was driving eastbound on the A64 in North Yorkshire at about 06:50 BST when she saw the animal near Whitwell-on-the-Hill.

The equine vet and her partner managed to persuade the donkey into the nearby shelter and call the police.

They kept the animal safe until it could be reunited with its owner.

Ms Smith and her partner Cameron Roberts, who is also an equine vet, were on their way to the airport for a trip to Amsterdam when they saw the creature.

"[He was] standing in the fast lane so we had to quickly turn around and wrestle the donkey into a bus stop," she said.

Amy Smith and Cameron Roberts had a "surreal" trip to the airport

Ms Smith told Greg James on Radio 1's Breakfast Show it had been quite an "exciting" morning.

"We had nothing to catch the donkey with so an electrician stopped and gave us a strap and we managed to pull the donkey into a bus stop."

Ms Smith said the donkey was apparently "fine" after a quick check-up, and luckily two lorries on the motorway had both stopped while they got him across the road.

She said the bus stop was one with glass panels so they managed to "stuff him in".

A police officer arrived and Ms Smith said he drove around the village until someone recognised the donkey and the owner could be alerted.

"It had escaped and walked about a mile through the village and up the main road," she explained.

Murphy waited patiently for officers to locate his owner

The donkey, whose name was later revealed as Murphy, was eventually walked home safely by his owner.

Meanwhile Ms Smith and her partner managed to still make their flight.

"It was quite surreal and luckily we made our plane."

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "We'd like to say a big thank you to the members of the public who rescued Murphy and called us for help."