Two lambs have died after a sheep went into labour brought on by a dog chasing it near Richmond, North Yorkshire.
The incident has prompted a strong warning from North Yorkshire Police's Rural Taskforce for dog owners to behave responsibly and always keep their dogs on leads near livestock.
On Saturday (31 March), a distressed ewe went into labour after being chased by a greyhound-type dog with a red jacket, in the Reeth Road area, west of Richmond. The dog's owner left the scene.
A vet attended, but both delivered lambs died.
Sergeant Stuart Grainger, of North Yorkshire Police's Rural Taskforce, urged dog owners to always keep their pets on leads around sheep, and in particular during the lambing season which runs from around January to April.
Livestock worrying and livestock attacks are a growing problem in rural communities. North Yorkshire Police is part of a five-force working group that is trying to tackle the problem.
Speaking earlier this year at the launch of a report highlighting the scale of dog attacks on livestock, North Yorkshire Police's Chief Constable Dave Jones said: "We need dog owners to take responsibility for their animals - not just by putting their dogs on a lead when out walking, but by preventing them from escaping from home and causing damage to livestock.
"We need livestock owners to report incidents so that we can gather intelligence and launch investigations. Above all, we need the powers to tackle this problem effectively and an overhaul of the outdated and sometimes ineffective rules surrounding livestock worrying."
Anyone with information about the Richmond incident should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number NYP-31032018-0284.
