THE RSPCA is appealing for information after a heartless driver ploughed into family pet and callously left the animal for dead.

The shocking incident happened at around 3am on Saturday on Oakworth road, Oakworth in Keighley.

A concerned member of the public saw a large dog lying in the middle of the road, stopped and put his hazard lights on in a bid to notify other drivers.

What happened next is captured on mobile phone footage. A car, reported to be a taxi, drove straight around the stopped car and ploughed into the dog, before driving off at speed.

The dog - a red Chow Chow called Yogi - is then seen struggling down the road, obviously gravely injured before collapsing.

Yogi’s owner described how her son rushed him to the vets, but the dog sadly died on the way. She described both herself and her son as “devastated and heartbroken” by what happened, and added that the distinctive large red dog was well known and liked in the local area.

“This is a shocking incident. It is absolutely heartbreaking for the owners, and would have caused immense suffering to poor Yogi,” said RSPCA inspector Natalie Taylor.

“The driver of a car involved in a collision with a dog is legally obliged to stop and stay on the scene until the police have given the driver permission to leave and the police must be informed of such an incident."

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC FOOTAGE

The RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information about the driver, or any witnesses to the incident to call the RSPCA’s national cruelty line on 0300 1234 999, quoting incident number 258/26/06/15.