A farming couple have been angered and upset by vicious dog attacks on seven of their sheep over the last three weeks.

The ewes, all in lamb, have either been so badly mauled they have had to be put down, or had been killed outright with their throats ripped out.

Michael and Margaret Hooper, who have a farm in the Minions area, and have commoners rights on Bodmin Moor, say these are the worst cases of sheep worrying they have seen in all their years of farming.

The couple received a phone call last Wednesday to report another of their sheep found dead on the moor near Minions village.

'We were so upset that we brought the sheep to the edge of the car park to await collection and put a sign next to the body,' said Margaret.

'It just said "Whose dog is killing sheep?" It's not a pleasant thing to see but we want people to understand the horrific results of sheep worrying. The ewe was pregnant so that were two or even three lives lost.'

Margaret said that someone must be letting a dog off the lead and letting it run without caring where it is going or what it is doing.

Careful

She said thankfully most people were very careful and responsible around the animals on the moor and liked seeing them there.

'It is heartbreaking to see our sheep ending their days like this. They are a lovely little group who have been born on the moor at Minions and grown up to have their own young. They never go very far and you get to know them,' she said.

Mrs Julie Dowton, secretary of the Bodmin Moor Commoners' Council said the sheep worrying incidents were causing a lot of distress to livestock and their owners.

'We are grateful to the majority of people who walk the moors with their dogs in a responsible way, but unfortunately some do not, and the situation is so bad it has now got to the point where a hard-hitting campaign is needed,' she said.

 'We are working on this with the police and the dog wardens and are hoping to get a campaign up and running in the next few months.'

Julie said people also need to be aware that under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, between  March 1 and July 31 each year, dogs should be kept on leads on common land and accessible land and no leads should be longer than two metres in length.