Deer humanely shot by armed police after incident near M5

The deer was found injured

Molly Seaman

17:59, 16 Jan 2026

File photo of a police car(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

A deer was humanely shot after it was hit by a vehicle near the M5 early this morning (Friday, January 16).

A witness told GloucestershireLive armed police were called to an incident in Tewkesbury this morning.

They said: "There was armed police on the Northway Bridge in Tewkesbury around 5:45am."

The deer was found in distress due to injuries it suffered after being hit by a vehicle.

The witness added that there was a single gun shot heard in Tewkesbury around 5.45am.

To prevent unnecessary suffering, the deer was humanely shot, police said.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Police said: "We were called at around 5.40am today (Friday) with a report a vehicle had struck a deer on Northway Lane in Tewkesbury, a bridge over the M5, and that the deer was injured.

"Police attended and the deer was in distress, and therefore it was dispatched humanely to prevent any further unnecessary suffering."