A DOG walker lost half his leg when he was struck by a combine harvester after entering a maize field to save his dog.

The man was injured when he was walking his two Dalmatians close to where the combine harvesters were being used in a field at Hampreston Manor Farm, near Wimborne.

The driver of the tractor, contractor Philip Trim, is said to be “devastated” by the incident.

He runs an established all-year-round agricultural contracting service from Bere Regis with silage, maize and wholecrop foraging being the mainstay of the business.

A friend said: “Philip is a lovely bloke and is really upset this has happened.” The incident happened close to All Saints church and the 41-year-old was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital.

It is understood the man has lost his right leg below the knee but villagers say Mr Trim was able to stop the machine to prevent further injury, while another driver created a tourniquet to stem the flow of blood.

The injured man is believed to have gone into the field to save one of his two Dalmatians which had left a public footpath in a pasture, which runs alongside the churchyard and the farm fields.

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: “We are aware of the incident but the police are currently investigating it.”