A wild white stag has been shot dead by police after it was seen running around residential roads in Bootle near Liverpool.

Merseyside Police said they received many calls from people who had seen the animal on the streets on Sunday morning.

An NHS worker called Paula told the Liverpool Echo: “I was on my way to work at the Royal this morning.

Things you don’t normally see in Bootle on a Sunday 🦌🦌 pic.twitter.com/MP5eSQklcI

“As I came over the flyover in Seaforth, there was a police car at the lights at the top of Knowsley Road and as the officer approached off it ran towards Bootle.

“It must have been have been quite scared and I genuinely have no idea where it was from.”

Police said there were “concerns for safety for motorists” as the deer dashed across roads and became distressed.

They said the animal was able to be secured on an industrial estate where a vet could monitor its welfare.

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The RSPCA said it had advised officers to let the deer find its own way home to the forest or parkland it had come from.

But in a statement Merseyside Police said: “Several enquiries were made to find an organisation who could assist with recovering the deer safely, but unfortunately we were unable to get assistance and as the hours went by the deer became more distressed.

“There was no option to let the deer wander as it could be a danger to motorists and members of the public in the area, particularly as the hours of darkness approached.

“As a result a decision was made in the early evening to euthanise the deer.”

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