A dog, nicknamed Houdini, remains on the loose in Ashtead even after reportedly being hit by a car.

Nearly 400 concerned people have joined a Facebook group set up to track down the stray lurcher currently roaming free in the area.

They asked anyone who saw the dog not to approach him as he is believed to be very frightened, but to contact the dog warden.

Sarah Dennehy said: "He's a missing dog with no owner. He's been on the run since February. He's very scared and has so far been impossible to catch.

"We believe he was hit by a car but still no one has been able to catch him. There's a lot of public interest and it would be great to raise more awareness so he could be caught and get the treatment he needs."

Chris Bedell posted on the Houdini Facebook page: "This little man has being seen running around the area since Easter Sunday.

"He did seem to have stopped wandering far and wide and was seen regularly round Tesco's in Leatherhead and in Teazle Wood, where a group of us were feeding him and trying unsuccessfully to get him to come close enough to catch.

"I spent several hours with him on and off earlier in the week, trying to coax him in with food and the nearest I or any of the others who were trying to gain his confidence got was about a couple of metres.

"Unfortunately somebody tried to catch him by chasing him, he had a near miss in the road and basically kept on running. We had no sightings for a couple of days and then he popped back up in Ashtead."

Ms Bedell warned that he is a "very scared" and the worst thing to do in this situation is to shout or chase him.

She said: "It is quite possible if someone does catch him, that he may not appreciate it!

"Please be careful of yourselves. He really does look very cute and cuddly, but he has been living wild for some time now.....!"

Dog warden numbers: 01306 879116 or 01306 885001 within office hours or 01372 376533 or 07886 498003 at other times.

If you see him call helpline the Dog Lost number 0844 800 3220 or email admin@doglost.co.uk

Visit www.doglost.co.uk/dog-blog.php?dogId=85377 or visit Houdini the Dog in Ashtead Facebook page