A dog who escaped his home and followed passengers on to a train has been returned to his owner.

Bear, a cocker spaniel, darted from an open door before making his way to Ore railway station, where he boarded a train.

After being spotted by guards, the pup was rescued and looked after by staff before eventually being reunited with his owner.

One of the workers who helped look after Bear at Hastings railway station said: “Bear was watered, fed and looked after for around two hours and I did a social media appeal in the hope of finding the owner.

“Customers equally loved him and he attracted lots of attention, he is an extremely well behaved and clever pup. We had so much fun looking after him but a station environment is not for puppies for sure.”

After releasing the social media appeal, staff were contacted by Bear's owner.

The dog was then returned to them and taken back home to safety.

Lauren Heap, Southeastern’s station manager for the Hastings area, said: “With some great teamwork from our station colleagues at Hastings we were so pleased to be able to reunite Bear with his owners.

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“Just after 7am, a radio message was received from our ticket office that our neighbouring train company, Southern, had called to advise that an unattended dog has been found at Ore after boarding a service.

"The guard on that service safely handed Bear over to platform staff on arrival at Hastings, and, thanks to Sussex Police, we were able to get in touch with the local dog warden.

“We’re really pleased that this story has had a happy ending for Bear and his owner.”

A spokeswoman for Southern Rail said: “We’re glad to see that our colleagues acted diligently to get the dog to safety, and worked with the relevant authorities to reunite it with its rightful owners.

“This is a good reminder that people should keep a close eye on their beloved pets. Where possible, please keep dogs on leads, especially in areas close to train stations.”