The out-of-control beast escaped from a Barlby farm before darting across the nearby highway and colliding with a Daewoo Matisse at about 10.15am on Tuesday, prompting a string of emergency 999 calls.

The vehicle’s driver Barry Bramhill, 69, and passenger wife Maureen, 62, suffered cuts and shock in the accident, which caused damage to the vehicle costing £1,500 to repair.

Mr Bramhill, of Riccall, said: “As we approached the Hull Road junction, this bull flew out of nowhere.

“I braked and swerved but it hit the passenger side with such force it pushed us into the path of oncoming traffic and up the grass verge.

“Maureen suffered cuts to her arm and I went into shock and couldn’t stop crying and dithering. My blood pressure rocketed so I was treated by paramedics.”

He added: “The car is a wreck with severe damage to the window, wing, door and mirror.

“We had been on our way to collect my mother-in-law’s ashes and I keep thinking we could have had a head-on collision and joined her at the funeral director’s. We were very lucky.”

The bull continued towards the village along Highfield View and the bypass, before eventually being contained in the former cricket field, west of Barlby Road and close to Barlby Community Primary School – fortunately empty due to the summer holidays.

But fearful the animal could cause further accidents or even fatalities, it was shot dead by a police marksman by permission of its owner, farmer Stanley Wiles.

A police spokesman said: “An agitated bull poses a real danger to the public, and due to the distressed state of this animal, it had to be destroyed. This isn’t something the police enjoy doing, but was the safest way to deal with the situation.

“While this incident resulted in only minor damage to one car, it could have so easily been more serious or even fatal.”