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Police warning as 30 sheep die in 'abhorrent' attack

Cheshire Police Dead sheep found after a sheep worrying attack in UtkintonCheshire Police
Police shared this image after the incident

About 30 sheep have been found dead after an "abhorrent sheep worrying incident", police have said.

Officers said the animals suffered "bloody attack wounds" in Utkinton, Cheshire, sometime between Christmas Eve and the afternoon of Christmas Day.

They believe at least one dog "chased and worried the majority of the sheep".

Cheshire Police said: "Beyond the appalling animal suffering and criminal offences committed, this is a huge loss to the farmer."

They added that the "limited injuries" to the sheep showed that "dogs need not be ferocious or actually necessarily physically attack livestock to cause catastrophic results".

They are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

Reuters sheep walking through a snowy fieldReuters
Dog owners are warned to keep pets on a lead or under close control

According to the law in England and Wales, the owner or person in charge of a dog that worries livestock on agricultural land can be convicted under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

Sheep worrying includes chasing or attacking livestock, or when a dog is neither on a lead nor "under close control" in a field or enclosure with sheep.