Hunt for dog that clamped jaws on cow's neck in Richmond attack

A herd of cows grazing in a meadow painted by Turner have been savaged by a bull terrier.

The cattle, many of them pregnant, were attacked in Petersham Meadows in Richmond by the crazed dog, which clamped its jaws around one cow's neck for 30 seconds while a distressed herdsman fought to pull it off.

The herd included calves, and witnesses told how some of the older cows butted and attempted to trample the dog during the 15-minute attack on bank holiday Monday. Herdsman Ian Brown, 64, eventually managed to grab hold of the bull terrier, called Stamford, but the owner fled with the animal before police arrived.

A witness told the Evening Standard: "The dog was vicious. It went for the cows and just attacked. It should have been on a leash. It was hanging off one of the cow's necks at one point. It was very distressing." The meadows form part of the view from Richmond Hill - the only panorama in England to be protected by an Act of Parliament.

The National Trust vowed to keep the cattle on the meadow when it took over the land, painted by JMW Turner in the 19th century and described by Sir Walter Scott as "an unrivalled landscape". A Trust spokesman said: "Fortunately our herdsman is okay and the injuries to the cattle are only superficial. It's important that people keep dogs on leads around livestock."

A police spokesman said: "Police attended the scene after reports of a dog attacking cattle in Richmond on Monday. The dog and its owner could not be traced."

A farmer in Ashford, Kent, has won £889 compensation after a Red Nose Day balloon released by pupils at Lyndhurst primary school in Camberwell, 50 miles away, killed his bullock, which choked to death on the string.