Usually it is cats that have nine lives but Saffy the dog proved luck was on his side when three police officers saved him from being run over in St Albans.

For it transpired that Saffy, a chihuahua, had been missing from home in Grove Hill, Hemel Hempstead, since October 9 and she had somehow managed to travel all the way to St Albans.

Pcs Ben Kirby and Barry Eldridge together with PCSO Lewis Griffiths from the Safer Neighbourhood Team spotted the small dog when it in running through traffic on Ashley Road at 5.45pm on Tuesday.

The chihuahua ran in to the Evans Halshaw car park and after a search was found hiding.

The officers brought the dog back to St Albans Police Station where it had the chip scanned and that was when it was discovered that Saffy had gone missing from home. Pc Griffiths said: “Saffy looked very nervous but otherwise in a remarkably healthy condition.

“Her owners, a family with two young children, who adopted Saffy on September 27, were overjoyed when told the news that their dog was found and came to collect Saffy.”