A CAR with a dog inside was stolen from a supermarket only for the animal to be found abandoned but safe and well in a churchyard.

A widely shared Facebook post suggested the car was stolen from Waitrose in London Road, Worcester at around 7pm on Thursday with a Labrador still inside.

One particular post was shared around 140 times on the social media platform although subsequent enquiries with the dog's owner revealed that the theft of the Land Rover Discovery happened at Waitrose in Alcester.

The dog has now been reunited with his family and was found uninjured in Salford Priors.

The owner, who did not wish to be identified, said: "There is no suggestion of injury to the dog. The car has not been recovered yet. I just got back to the car park and the car was gone. I was a bit numb and very upset until I found the dog. I'm very pleased we have got the dog back."

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "I can confirm this incident has been reported to us and enquiries into the stolen vehicle are on-going."

The owner said he understood the matter was being investigated by Warwickshire Police.