West Mercia Police has appealed for information following separate dog attacks that resulted in the deaths of 28 sheep in Herefordshire.
Officers have said they are trying to trace the owners of the dogs that have killed the sheep, at different farms within the Herefordshire area.
The first incident, the force said, took place at Upper Gate House in Dinedor at about 9.00am on May 30.
Then, a second incident occurred on June 1. Two dogs entered the same field and attacked sheep. Police believe one of the dogs is the same dog from the first incident on May 30.
Between 10.00pm on May 31 and 6.00am on June 1, a sheep farmer at Lower Huntless Farm in Twyford -approximately one mile away from the locations of the other two incidents – reported that his flock had also been attacked by a dog.
The dog was not seen during or after this incident, West Mercia Police said, but the injuries sustained by the sheep along with confirmation by a vet affirmed that they had been caused by a dog.
Sgt. Mark Jones of West Mercia Police said: “These are very concerning incidents which are causing a lot of anguish and financial damage for the victims and we are working closely with the farming community to help them maximise security for their flocks.
“We can only roughly estimate how many sheep have been killed based on what farmers have told us – we are aware of separate incidents of five, 11 and 12 sheep being killed at different farms so it seems to be as many as 28.”
Jones said the force has a picture of one of the “offending dogs” and urged the owner, or anyone who knows who the owner is, to contact him on 07773 034427.
“The call can be anonymous if preferred,” he said.
