Escaped bull shot dead by armed police in Cheshire

Police marksmen shot and killed a bull on the loose after it escaped from a farm in Cheshire.

Residents were warned to stay indoors after the agitated animal was “charging at people” in Wells Avenue, Haslington, before 9am on Wednesday 19 April.

The owner and police officers attempted to bring the marauding bull under control near Dingle Primary School, but without success.

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One eyewitness said on Facebook he saw the bull charging up the avenue as he dropped off his grandchildren at the school in his car.

But a local business owner dismissed media reports that the bull had escaped from an abattoir.

“A farmer was loading the bull onto a wagon and it escaped,” he said. “The local butcher was also helping police to try to round it up. There was a bit of a kerfuffle.

“Cheshire has a high density of dairy farms and there are numerous beef enterprises. Unfortunately, these incidents do happen on occasion.”

Police shot the animal after ruling it posed an “immediate threat” to public safety.

In a statement, Cheshire Police said the decision to shoot the bull had not been “taken lightly”.

“There was also a real risk of the bull escaping onto the main road and surrounding housing estates which could have caused a serious accident,” said a force spokesman.

“Officers, with the help of the owner, attempted to secure the bull, but the owner was unable to do so and the immediate danger to the public and the officers was high.

“A decision had to be made to dispatch the animal before anyone was seriously hurt. This decision is never taken lightly and the main focus here was to protect residents, some of whom were dropping children off at the nearby school.”