A car was written off after it struck a large pig which had escaped from a field.

Kevin Matthews, of Humberdale Way, Warboys, was driving towards Ramsey on the B1040 when his Vauxhall Corsa hit the animal at 10.50pm yesterday (Wednesday).

The 17-year-old, who was with his girlfriend, injured his wrist and was taken to hospital to be checked over. The pig, a sow, died.

Crucially, the teenager had kept control of the car and avoided swerving left or right.

His mum, Marcelle Do Monte, said her son, who goes to Abbey College and works part-time at Lakeside Lodge, Pidley, had been driving only a couple of months. “I’m just grateful him and his girlfriend are here to tell the tale,” she added. “A policeman congratulated him on his driving. He didn’t panic and didn’t go into another car or the ditch. The skid marks on the road were dead straight.”

The pig is believed to have escaped from a nearby field. A police spokesman said the farmer had to be called to dispose of the animal.