A seriously injured muntjac deer made its way into the reception of Chelmsford Council's offices.

The animal appeared to have been hit by a car and entered by the front doors of the Civic Centre, in Duke Street.

Chelmsford Council said it was in an distressed state and caused some damage to equipment and furnishings before quick-thinking staff managed to safely contain it in one area.

The reception was temporarily closed for safety and the RSPCA were called.

Unfortunately, due to the extent of the deer’s injuries, by the time the RSPCA arrived it had died.

Customer services staff stayed with the animal and did all that they could to keep it calm.

Ali Naqvi, group marketing and customer manager at Chelmsford Council, said: “This was a very sad incident which was upsetting for our team, many of whom are animal-lovers.

"I am proud of the way they responded, stayed calm and used caring and common sense to deal with the situation.

"We don’t know how far the deer ran to get here, but in its injured state it is unlikely to have been very far.”

Read more:

Residents are being urged to be careful when driving around the city centre.

Wildlife, including deer, do live in the city's parks and green spaces. 

If you are involved in a collision involving a deer, you can report it to Essex Police – although this is not a legal requirement.