A FARMER has warned dog walkers to keep their pets on a lead when around farm animals after a sheep was killed.

Peter Robinson was on his brother-in-law Tim Handy’s farm in the Pry, Purton, when he heard sheep bleating and found a dog attacking the flock.

After five minutes Mr Robinson, along with Mr Handy, his wife Christine and the dog’s owner, collared the Siberian husky and police were called.

But he warned that farmers are legally entitled to shoot dogs who are threatening their livestock and said had he had a gun he might have done so.

The 54-year-old said: “This is the second incident in a week and this time it proved fatal.

“The dog took the ewe by the throat and killed it.

“We’ve just had our lambing season and the lamb now has no mother – it could die too because they don’t always take to the bottle.

“Dog walkers need to be aware that they must keep their dogs on a leash when they are around livestock.

“Swindon is getting bigger and bigger and encroaching more and more into the countryside and so there are plenty of dog walkers about.

“If they cannot control their dogs and they disturb our flock then we have a right to shoot them.”

The Dogs Protection Of Livestock Act 1953 makes it an offence for an owner to allow their dog to worry sheep.

The Animals Act 1971 can provide a defence to farmers and landowners who shoot and kill a dog which is, or is about to, worry their livestock, but the incident must be reported to police within 48 hours.

A spokesman for the National Farmers’ Union said: “This is a last resort and if a dog is actively worrying sheep it can be shot.

“Our advice is that owners do need to make sure dogs are under control where livestock are about, particularly sheep.”