With lambing season underway, local and national policing teams have joined with local farmers to warn of the emotional and financial strain put on the farming community by sheep worrying.

The Countryside Alliance define sheep worrying as occurring "when a dog is either chasing or worrying a sheep to the point where it is reasonably expected that the sheep will endure suffering or injury". 

As such, the message from the rural policing team and local farmers is to "keep dogs on leads when in the countryside".

This comes as a farmer in King's Cliffe has had a number of his sheep attacked by a dog. In late February, a number of his sheep were attacked in a field off Wood Lane, leaving farmer Craig Baxter concerned that his pregnant ewes could abort or even die.

Mark, a farmer just across the border in Leicestershire has also recently lost sheep to dog attacks. In the below video he explains the emotional and financial impact sheep worrying can have on farmers and their animals:

With lambing season underway for another year, dog owners should:

• Keep dogs on leads when walking in rural areas where livestock are kept, but let go of the lead if chased by cattle 
• Be aware that even small dogs can cause distress, injury and death to farm animals
• Keep to public footpaths and look out for 'sheep grazing' and 'cattle in field' signs
• Report dog attacks or sheep worrying concerns to the police