An out-of-control dog has killed seven sheep and injured at least 30 others following an attack on farmland in North Wales.
The incident took place on farmland in Buckley, Flintshire, on Sunday (20 November), with North Wales Police urging the public for more information.
PCSO Iwan Jones, from the force's rural crime team, said on social media that the scene of the attack was one of 'absolute devastation'.
It has been confirmed that seven sheep died following the incident, but that number was expected to "at least triple".
"We've got about a 100 sheep in this field behind us and so far, from a livestock attack from a dog, or dogs - possibly dogs - sometime during the night, there's seven dead at the moment and there must be 25-30 injured.
Details of a livestock attack at Buckley, Flintshire 21/11/22
— NWP Rural Crime Team /Tîm Troseddau Cefn Gwlad HGC (@NWPRuralCrime) November 21, 2022
Manylion achos o boeni defaid , Bwcle , Sir Fflint 21/11/22 pic.twitter.com/Hx5quTIC3J
"We get quite hardened to this type of thing here on the rural crime team but, today, it has left us feeling a bit sick really, awful," Mr Jones said.
In the video published on social media, the police officer said the "farmer is absolutely devastated and the sheep are suffering"
"If you're the dog owner, you know what's happened, because the fields are wet and the dogs will be filthy and covered in blood," he added.
"Absolutely sickening, I have no other words for it."
Information on the Flintshire incident can be passed to North Wales Police via 101 or the web live chat quoting incident reference 22000855366.
The latest figures by NFU Mutual show that farm animals worth an estimated £1.5 million were injured and killed last year.
Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, said 'horrific' attacks were causing 'unbearable suffering' to farm animals and anxiety for farmers.
“There’s a new generation of dog owners whose pandemic puppies are coming of age and they simply don’t know how their dog is going to behave around livestock," she said.
“It’s hard for people to imagine that their affectionate, family pet could injure or kill another animal and it’s not only physical attacks that can harm livestock.
"Even if a small dog chases sheep and they don’t make contact, they can separate lambs from their mothers or the distress and exhaustion from the chase can cause a pregnant ewe to die or miscarry.”
