POLICE in Canada are still seeking a driver involved in a hit-and-run accident in which a former Wellington man who used to work in Tropiquaria, at Washford Cross, was killed two months ago.

Marc Ellis, aged 38, died on December 11 as he attempted to recover a stray dog running on a rural road in the Abbotsford suburb of Vancouver where he lived.

His mother Lesley Ellis was able to travel from Somerset to help arrange the funeral and a celebration of his life thanks to an online campaign by friends which raised more than £13,500.

Canadian media has reported that police had identified a red 2019 Dodge Ram pickup which struck Mr Ellis but failed to stop and was then abandoned further along the road.

The authorities last month released CCTV footage of the Dodge Ram being driven earlier in the evening and a second clip which showed the driver and passenger running from the vehicle.

Police traced the vehicle to a local business, but it was reported that the business owner had been uncooperative with officers investigating the incident and they had not yet been able to identify the driver.

Canada law enforcement officers have also posted a YouTube appeal for any information which might help them.

Mr Ellis lived in Wellington as a teenager and attended Cannington College before taking a job at Tropiquaria.

He then moved to live in Spain for a time before relocating about 12 years ago to Canada, where his his father Wayne Ellis lives.

Marc and his partner Amanda Wegerek ran a reptile business, Slithers and Critters, which specialises in breeding snakes, tarantulas, and geckos.

He was also heavily involved in working with protection dogs and was a member of the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada.