Train driver stops on tracks to rescue lost pug Poppy

The train driver saw caught a glimpse of Poppy's red harness in a bush

A train driver stopped on the tracks to rescue a pug he spotted in a bush by the railway line.

The pug, who is called Poppy, had run away from her owners after being frightened by a car.

The train was a freight train, so it was transporting goods rather than people.

Its driver, Michael Jones, was given special permission to stop at a station to reunite her with her owners.

Poppy got a helping of crumpets and water on the way to being reunited with her owners

Poppy's owners Dawn and Ian Bain said they spent all night look for her after she ran away on Tuesday 4 July.

The next morning, the train driver Michael saw her hiding in a bush near the track, almost a mile from where she went missing.

He stopped the train and collected her after spotting her red harness.

"All of a sudden there was just this tiny little face just looking back at me," he said.

Poppy is recovering from the ordeal at home with her companion Tinker

Poppy's owners had gone to a level crossing nearby to ask the person in the signal box to look out for her.

Mrs Bain was told the good news that a dog had just been found, "my heart - it didn't know whether to sing or stop," she said.

Poppy and her owners were reunited at a station nearby and she was taken straight to the vets, where she was given a clean bill of health.

Mrs Bain said she was really thankful that Mr Jones had been so observant and was kind enough to help Poppy.