Sheep is attacked by dog at Pontesbury nature reserve

A dog ran towards one of the sheep at Earls Hill, Pontesbury, near Shrewsbury, and locked its mouth around its head.

A neighbour saw what was going on and ran out and drew the dog away from the sheep.

The animal suffered small punctures around its nose but no serious injuries.

The attack happened over the weekend.

Special breed Hill Radnors and Llanwenog are used to help maintain flower-rich grassland at Earls Hill, which is owned by Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

The owner of the sheep, Allison Littlehales, has only been grazing the reserve for the past year. Carl Pickup, nature reserves manager at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said dogs must be kept under control.

He said: "Lots of people enjoy walking at Earls Hill and we welcome them, but visitors should remember that the hill is important for its wildlife and it's the sheep that keep it good condition."

Wildlife Trust director Colin Preston said: "It's becoming increasingly hard to find farmers to graze our nature reserves.

"By definition our land isn't the most productive and we often ask for traditional breeds to be used.

"Without farmers like the Littlehales our wildlife is in trouble and magical places like Earls Hill will suffer."