A horse has been killed after it was hit by a car on the A54 in Cheshire in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The accident happened at 6.50am on Middlewich Road in Oakmere.

Police were called to the scene after being told that a dead horse was lying in the middle of the road.

The road was closed for over 3 hours causing traffic problems and delays in both directions.

The female driver of the vehicle, a silver Vauxhall Astra, was taken to Leighton Hospital with serious neck injuries.

It is thought that the horse had escaped from a local field.