Dog walkers are being urged to keep their pets under control while exercising on farmland following a series of attacks on sheep in recent days.

Walkers taking dogs unfamiliar with farm animals into the countryside may not be aware that their pets could follow their instincts to hunt and attack sheep and lambs, says rural insurer NFU Mutual.

Recent attacks have included sheep killed and others injured across the UK, at a time when ewes and their new-born lambs are particularly vulnerable.

Rebecca Davidson, NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist, said: “We are urging dog walkers to keep their pets on the lead at all times when exercising them in countryside where livestock are reared.

“Walking dogs on a lead also ensures people can safely keep two metres away from others.”