Tesco delivery driver runs over and kills a HORSE (But no, it wasn’t used in the lasagne)

A bungling Tesco delivery driver did the scandal-hit supermarket’s PR no favours when he ran over and killed – a horse.

The supermarket giant is currently reeling from the revelation that several products labelled as beef were actually horse meat.

And the clumsy driver added more woe to his employers when he ploughed into the back of a mare as it was being exercised last Tuesday morning in the village of Kineton, Warks.

The animal, from the Warwickshire Hunt,  suffered two broken legs and had to be put down by vets on the spot while the rider of the horse and driver were uninjured.

Master of the Warwickshire Hunt, Sam Butler, said yesterday: “A horse belonging to the hunt was being exercised in the usual way.

“Three were being ridden and each one was leading another.

“Unfortunately one was hit by a vehicle resulting in a leg being broken.

“You can’t mend a broken leg in a horse and it had to be humanely destroyed.

“Fortunately hunt staff were less than half a mile away and were down there to deal with it as quickly as possible.

“They have the experience to deal with incidents like this and it was dealt with extremely quickly to ensure as little distress as possible.

“Police were called to the scene and the grooms made statements. It is all in the hands of the hunt’s insurers and the vehicle’s insurers.

“It was very difficult and distressing.”

One local shopkeeper said: “I was told it had been hit from behind, the girl riding it was unhurt but was absolutely gutted.

“It was all dealt with very quickly. It’s not the sort of publicity Tesco need at the moment either with the horse-meat scandal going on.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We were sorry to hear about this sad accident.

“Our driver acted responsibly throughout and we are in contact with the owner.”