A cow that escaped from her field when rural walkers left a gate open had to be put down after slipping on concrete and injuring herself, local police in Cheshire have reported.
The incident happened in Shotwick, according to Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team, which has issued a warning on the matter.
Commenting yesterday, Tuesday, August 11, PCSO Makin, of the rural crime team, said: “Today I’ve been to visit a farm in the Shotwick area after the farmer reported a gate being left open multiple times on a footpath that runs through their farm.
This has resulted in cows getting on to the nearby road and slipping on the concrete; sadly one had to be put down due to injuries sustained.
The officer warned that such an incident isn’t just a danger for the livestock, but also a huge risk for people who use public footpaths as well.
“Cows that find a new area to go often charge down to explore and, if you are walking / cycling / riding on a thin footpath, you may find a herd of cows running towards you with nowhere to escape.
This is just one example of this type of incident so please, if you are using a footpath that runs through a farm or if there is livestock around make sure you check that the gate is shut behind you properly.
“It could genuinely save a life,” PCSO Makin concluded.
