Lamb dies in 'brutal' dog attack
Trevor CloseA farmer has spoken of his "anger" after one of his lambs died in a dog attack.
"I have been looking after these little lambs around the clock, from 05.00 until 21.00 at night," Trevor Close, from Hunwick, in County Durham, said.
The 59-year-old said his flock had been worried by a dog just days before the fatal attack and there had been more incidents recently.
Durham Police attended the scene and issued a community protection warning to a man in his 30s.
Mr Close, who works on Burn Farm, estimated dog attacks had already cost him hundreds of pounds in injured lambs this year and that cost went up when he considered upkeep.
"One of my lambs had been injured days before the fatal incident," he said.
On 1 May, Mr Close received a call saying "dogs were loose in the field again" and headed down to stop it.
He said he arrived and spoke to the dogs' owner.
"I asked why the dogs were in my field and he just said they had got off the lead.
"The injuries were absolutely brutal. We tried to help the lamb but it sadly died."
Mr Close emphasised the "tragic impact" of letting dogs off the lead near lambs at this time of year.
"I would tell all dog owners to please keep their animals on a tight leash and stay away from sheep," he added.