Escaped pigs that brought the A127 in Essex to a standstill are 'saved from slaughter' after donors raise £6,000

Five of the roughly 14 pigs that bolted onto the A127 near Basildon on October 18 were shot dead by Essex Police at the scene; the remaining nine faced the same fate until a £6,000 GoFundMe campaign gave them a reprieve. Martin Morgan, who has run Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary in Asheldham for 30 years, agreed to take in all nine despite warning the sanctuary is already struggling to cover its £30,000-a-month running costs.

One pig, named Abigail after the A127's initials, had hidden in a local garden and is believed to be the mother of three of the others.

Morgan said he 'didn't sleep the night' he was told about the pigs because he feared the sanctuary could not fit them in.

The sanctuary, run with four-time Guinness World Record holder Fiona Oakes, houses around 80 horses, 50 cows and 75 goats alongside the new arrivals.