by Graham Tutthill

A dog which belonged to a Dover woman and went missing on New Year's Day has been found dead on a railway line.

An appeal for help was launched by Laura Bodell and her family after her four-year-old labrador called Foster disappeared while it was being looked after by a friend at Horton Cottages, Chartham.

"Twenty minutes after we left, he escaped and ran off down the railway tracks," said Miss Bodell.

She said there had been two sightings reported to the police on Saturday which could have been Foster.

Posters appealing for help were distributed around the area and when they delivered one to Network Rail, a member of staff said there had been a report of a dog being hit on the line between Chartham and Canterbury. It has now been identified as Foster.

Miss Bodell expressed her thanks to everyone who had helped.