A man and two horses have tragically died after three cars hit the loose animals on the M18 near Doncaster.

Two Skodas hit the horses in the early hours of Friday morning after they got loose on the carriageway.

A blue Skoda Octavia crashed into one of the animals, while a grey Skoda Superb hit the second horse near Junction 4 of the motorway.

The driver of the second vehicle, a 50-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Another collision happened after the two Skoda crashes, when a Vauxhall Vivaro also crashed into one of the horses.

Both horses died at the scene, South Yorkshire Police sadly confirmed.

The driver of a Skoda Octavia and Vauxhall Vivaro suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Police are now trying to track down the owners of the horses following the motorway tragedy.

South Yorkshire Police said on social media: “We are now asking for any witnesses, who have not yet spoken to police to come forward, and anyone with dashcam footage to share it.

“We would also like to speak to the owner of the horses, who has not yet come forward.

“One horse is black and one horse is grey in colour. Further enquiries are on-going around the horses and their owners, but anyone missing two horses or who may know who they belong to is asked to contact us.”