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Police in India have been applying temporary stickers which glow in the dark to cows' horns in an attempt to cut down on road accidents.

The bizarre measures are the latest effort to combat the growing problem of motorists crashing into the animals as they cross roads at night.

Cows are considered sacred in India and will often be found wandering into the middle of busy roads.

Asa result they become a severe traffic hazard, with severe or even fatal crashes occurring as they mill freely through the countryside.

Traffic police in one district of Madhya Pradesh state have taken to sticking orange radium reflective bands on the horns of 300 cows and bulls to help drivers spot them, reports AFP.

(Image: Manas Kumar)

"Many drivers injured themselves or killed the cattle after running over them at night," Kailash Chauhan, traffic police inspector for Balaghat district said.

"There was an urgent need to prevent such accidents."

The temporary measures proved so successful that permanent radium paint is being bought to cover cows' horns, and farmers are being asked to pitch in and mark their own cattle.

(Image: Manas Kumar)

More than 550 people were killed in India in accidents involving stray animals, according to road ministry figures on 2015.