A HERD of cattle surprised Weymouth residents when they escaped through fencing and trampled their street.

Two bulls and four cows damaged cars and gardens in Mountbatten Close in Wyke Regis after they fled their field on Friday night.

Residents told how the animals jumped over cars and warned this was becoming a regular occurrence and someone could get hurt. Margaret Alsop, of Mountbatten Close, said: “It was like something from a nightmare. There were four cows and two bulls trampling down the road.

“They smashed through the fence and walked along gardens and jumped over cars. You would be surprised to see how high a cow can jump.

“When I think about it, it seems like something from a comedy show, but at the time, it was scary.

“A lot of children walk through here after school. I dread to think what could have happened if they were around.

“There’s also a children’s play area at the top of the road where the cows had to be led to get back into their field.

“What would kids have done if they were faced with a herd of cattle running down the street?”

Mrs Alsop said she believes the hungry cattle were in search of food.

She added: “The farmer is saying it’s not his responsibility. Well then whose responsibility is it?

“The house across the road has had its fence pulled down, all of the shrubs trampled, they’ve munched on the plants.

“I feel so sorry for my neighbours. They’ve been out there most of the morning trying to sort out the mess.”

But farmer Michael Hansford said he believes residents were to blame for feeding his cattle, which has encouraged them to come right up to the fence.

He said “I’ve found apples, cabbage leaves and even chicken carcasses in the field before so I think someone has been feeding the cattle and that’s why they are always so keen to go up to the fence. “I have had the land for 30 years and I have never had any problems until quite recently.

“The fence has rotted and the people who own it have taken down the barbed wire that was stopping the cattle from getting close.

“It’s only a domestic fence and it’s rotted, but it’s not my property.

“I was stood there talking to the property owner a few months back and I fell through it and tumbled about eight feet down the bank.”

Helen Rettie, who owns the fence, said she was worried about the legalities of putting barbed wire on there in case the animals were injured. She added: “We’ve had quite a bit of tidying up to do.

“The cows are lovely creatures but they can be dangerous.”

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “We were alerted to a herd of cows loose in the road.

“They had caused some damage to cars and gardens. The farmer attended and the animals were restrained and taken back to their field.”