A viral video shared on social media shows a police car driving into a cow as it walked along a street in Surrey.

The video, shared on X by UB1UB2, is being filmed from the window of a residential street in Staines-Upon-Thames.

It shows a junction where a cow was walking along the street yesterday evening (Friday, June 14) shortly before 9pm.

In the video, one police car can be seen stationary, facing away from the cow with a number of officers stood near to the vehicle.

Then, another police car is seen driving towards the cow and hitting it.

The cow is bowled over by this impact and is flung across the street.

Warning: Some readers may find the video below to be distressing.

As it tries to stand up again, the police car can be seen driving forward again and hitting the cow a second time.

The cow is then stuck headfirst underneath the police vehicle and the officers in the car get out to look at the cow.

Members of the public approach the cow but police can be seen and heard in the video telling them to “get out the way”.

The video currently has 4.6 million views.

In a statement shared by Surrey Police, they have said that they received “numerous calls” that the cow was “running at members of the public” and that it had damaged a car.

Because of this, police have said they were “extremely concerned for the public’s safety” and spent a number of hours and multiple options to try and “safely capture the cow”.

They added: “Unfortunately, these were unsuccessful, and the decision was made to stop it using a police car.”

The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

With the support of a member of the public, the cow was moved to a nearby farm in the early hours of this morning (June 15).

The cow’s owner has been found and the cow’s injuries are being assessed by a vet.

Police have confirmed that the cow suffered “a large cut to its leg” and that a vet is overseeing its continued treatment.

Chief Inspector Sam Adcock said: "I know that this has caused distress and I'd like to thank the community for their concern.

“The decision to use the police car is one that was only taken after other methods to stop the cow had failed.

“There will be an investigation into the actions that led to this, but our focus at all times is on ensuring the safety of the public.

"I know there are videos circulating of this incident, which the public may find distressing.

“I would ask that these videos are sent directly to us to help with our investigation."