M11 crash: owners of rescue dog from Mildenhall in Suffolk appeal for public’s help to help find Arnie

A desperate search is under way to find the dog of a family from Mildenhall, after he fled the scene of a pile-up on the M11.

Arnie, a three-year-old rescue dog, was travelling in his owners’ vehicle when it was caught up in the crash on the northbound carriageway of the M11 on Wednesday at around 5.50pm.

Lucy Anne Morton, whose mum and stepdad live in Mildenhall said the family had been searching all night in freezing temperatures to try and find Arnie, unsure whether he had survived the cold.

Appeals have gone out across social media and the family have asked anyone with a drone to help them with the search.

“My stepdad had opened the door to check the dog was OK after the crash and he just bolted,” said Lucy. “He ran up the northbound carriageway the wrong way, heading back towards Bishop’s Stortford, and then crossed the central reservation and carried on heading southbound.

“He then disappeared down the side of the motorway. There was a sighting of him at 6.45pm last night disappearing into the forest opposite Audley End House.

“I was out until 2am searching for him and then went to see my mum and stepdad in hospital, who had both been strapped to spinal boards, got back at 5am and have been out this morning to try to find him.”

Lucy, who lives in Bishops Stortford, said her parents, who were returning home to Suffolk after visiting family, were “bruised and battered but OK” and said that fortunately no-one involved in the accident had been seriously injured.

“It could have been a lot worse – nobody was seriously hurt. It’s now just about finding the lost dog.”

She described Arnie as “a lovely dog, but quite nervous”. He is wearing a collar with a contact number on his tag.

“If you see him, you can call him, he wouldn’t bite anybody, and maybe try to grab hold of him. He responds to ‘Good boy’.

“We’re desperately trying to find someone with a drone who could help with the search. We’re currently searching farm fields around the Audley End estate.”

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Stansted, Newport and Saffron Walden attended the scene, which involved two separate accidents affecting both directions on the motorway at the same time.

Said a spokesperson: “On the northbound carriageway it was a four-vehicle collision with no persons trapped. On the southbound carriageway it was a four-vehicle collision with one person trapped.

“Firefighters worked hard to free the casualty and made the scene safe by 7.11pm. The scene was left with the ambulance service.”