A DINOSAUR-crazy boy has been lifting the spirits of his village by dressing up as his favourite beast and going on a daily “coronasaurus hunt”.

Six-year-old old Finley Atkinson and his dad Michael have become a regular sight around Sherburn Village near Durham, as well as an online hit, as they take their daily exercise.

Mr Atkinson said: “It’s all Finley’s idea. He just loves the response we have been getting and above all he likes making people smile.

“He has always been absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs. Last year on his birthday, we had a dinosaur-themed party and I bought these dinosaur costumes as a surprise.

“Ever since then he has been asking if we can go out in the dinosaur costumes and I kept putting it off. Anyway with what is going on, with the lockdown and being allowed out only once a day for exercise, I agreed."

Mr Atkinson said they were overwhelmed by the response on their first outing, with people stopping and taking pictures and posting them on Facebook.

He said: “It made our day and cheered both of us up. Finley said ‘if it’s made people happy dad can we go out again’.

“So we have been doing that every day. Just wandering around. Everybody waves at us and people have been stopping to take our pictures. We’ve even had people contacting us and asking us to go down their street.”

Finley, who goes to Sherburn Primary School, is being home schooled during the lockdown by mum Anita, who is a college lecturer.

Mr Atkinson, a self-employed electrician, is still able too work as he is a key worker.