In Lancashire, police have teamed up with farmers to tackle sheep worrying after a recent attack left two sheep dead and three seriously injured in the Burnley area. ‘Operation Flock’ will see officers in the area increase patrols and seek to educate dog owners.

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Officers from Lancashire Constabulary have warned dog owners that allowing their animals to chase or attack livestock can have serious repercussions, especially when many animals may be pregnant, including heavy fines and even imprisonment in extreme cases. Farmers are also legally allowed to shoot dogs chasing farm animals.

In Derbyshire, rangers at the Peak District National Park are erecting warning signs throughout the Peak District to warn dog walkers, after rangers found dead pregnant sheep which had been killed by dogs in the National Park.

The signs remind dog walkers that, by law, their animals must be kept on short leads around farm animals, and around wildlife between March to July, when a lot of wild animals are nesting or breeding.

The Peak District National Park Authority said it hoped the signs would protect dogs themselves. It also said that ground-nesting birds such as curlew and lapwing, and mammals including hares are also more vulnerable at this time of year, and that, even if owners do not think their dog would give chase to an animal, they can be unpredictable and wild creatures are easily disturbed.

Farmers believe the problem of livestock worrying is on the rise; there were an estimated 691 cases of sheep worrying by dogs reported to police across the country in 2011. Rural insurer NFU Mutual has estimated the problem cost farmers £1 million last year.

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