A WARNING has gone out to dog owners who walk in Abbeyford woods to keep sight of their animal at all times after horrific damage was caused to sheep on a nearby farm.

Following a recent incident where a dog wandered onto West Hook Farm near Okehampton, which borders the woods, and attacked a number of sheep, the farm owners and the Forestry Commission are asking dog owners to keep their dogs under control.

Ruth Maile, who works on the farm owned by her parents, said during the incident one sheep had its jaw attacked and one had to be destroyed due to its injuries.

There were also effects after the incident, as one sheep had a prolapse and two or three aborted their lambs.

Mrs Maile said that the sheep were just about to start lambing and the last thing they needed was to be terrorised: 'It was absolutely horrific. It's a financial loss to our family business.

'We had to pay for the sheep to be disposed of, and the one that was killed, if she was with two lambs that's about £200 we have lost. It is a big, big financial loss.'

The farm has suffered a number of incidents like this over recent years.

'A couple of years ago I was driving back to the farm and saw some of the sheep running so I jumped out of the car and shouted a dog off,' said Mrs Maile.

'Lambs were damaged and I then went to find the owner who had no idea that his dog had been on our land.'

Mrs Maile said there was another horrific incident a couple of years ago which affected around 15 sheep, a number of which had to be destroyed.

'We've been on this farm for a long time and these kind of incidents seem to be getting more frequent.

'We think people let their dogs loose in the woods, lose sight of them and are not aware of what their dog is up to.

'The woods cover a big area and is ideal for dog walking.

'We are dog owners ourselves and understand that after the winter people want to get out and about and let their dogs run around but people really need to be more responsible and keep their dogs in sight, under control and know where they are at all times.'

A spokesperson for the Forestry Commission, which manages Abbeyford Woods, also asked walkers to keep their dogs under control, particularly during the sensitive lambing season.

'We welcome all dogs and their owners in to our forests.

'However, we do expect dog owners to keep their pets in sight and under control at all times,' said the spokesman.