This is the dramatic moment a heroic repair shop owner risked his life to stop a runaway lorry rolling downhill - just seconds before it collided head-on with a parked truck.

The colossal semi-trailer, weighing some 10 tonnes, began moving forward after its driver failed to engage the handbrake in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China.

Heart-stopping footage shows courageous shop owner Zhao Dong sprinting out of his store, chasing after the vehicle in an attempt to pull the handbrake.

Moments later, he managed to bring the lorry to a halt - just a second before it would have smashed into the front of another parked truck.

As Zhao clambered into the cab, the lorry's driver realised what had happened and gave chase, but far too late to make a difference.

He then helped Zhao down from the cab and offered his gratitude for preventing what could have been a disaster on December 24.

No one was injured in the incident.