POLICE are calling on people walking their dogs in rural North Yorkshire to take responsibility for their pets, after more attacks on livestock.

Officers are concerned that as coronavirus restrictions are lifted, more people are travelling to the countryside, and walking their dogs around sheep without enough care.

The warning follows incidents in the Harrogate and Richmondshire areas in the last week.

In one incident on Saturday, July 11, a member of the public called police to report a dog running loose in fields in Arkengarthdale.

An officer from North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group was on patrol on a police motorcycle nearby and attended the scene.

The dog, a German pointer, was seen chasing and attacking sheep, including a ewe and a lamb.

The dog’s owners were spoken to, and their details taken. Enquiries are ongoing to identify the sheep’s owner.

The following day were called by a farmer reporting a dog had attacked a lamb on his land near Thruscross Reservoir, near Harrogate.

The farmer was able to secure the husky dog, and the lamb was taken away to recover.

In a separate incident last month, a lamb was attacked and killed in Marton Cum Grafton.

Inspector Matt Hagen said: “We need dog owners to take responsibility for their animals – it’s very important that dogs are kept securely when at home, and on leads and under control when walking near sheep fields.”