Dog walker killed in cattle stampede

A dog walker died after being trampled on by a herd of cattle, police said.

The woman is believed to have been walking with her pets on a stretch of the Pennine Way outside the hamlet of Gayle, near Hawes, North Yorkshire, when the incident took place at around 12.15 yesterday afternoon.

North Yorkshire Police said she was walking in a field with two dogs, a brown and white spaniel and a collie-type dog, both on their leads, when the sight of the dogs panicked the animals.

A police spokeswoman said: "She was surrounded by a herd of cattle and calves, and as a result of dogs being present the cattle reacted in an aggressive manner."

The woman, who has not been named but was described as short, around 5ft 2in, and of slim build, was fatally injured.

Last year Sandra Pearce, 45, died in a cattle stampede as she crossed a field in South Elmham, Suffolk, with her pet dogs.