Response ID 291,013,673
Incident number 787
Date of incident 25/09/23
Site of incident: A path on the fields surrounding Princess Helena College, School Lane, Preston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7RT. The co-ordinates for this (closed) school are 51 54′ 34″ N 0 16′ 58″ W. We entered the field at a gate on School Lane near St Albans Highway/Hitchwood Lane and exited further down School Lane near Crunnells Green.
On Monday 25th September My Dad, his friend and I were hiking in our local countryside with my dog Tabby. Tabby was on her lead at all times during the walk. Towards the end of the route we had to enter a field with some cows in. The cows were black and white and they were a herd of young animals. As we entered the field the cows were on the left of the field grazing beside the fence. We followed the designated footpath across the middle of the field. As we got closer to the cattle we started to walk wide of the path so we did not have to get too close to them.
As we neared the animals they started to look up at us, then several started to walk and trot towards us. I started to feel a little scared but we had been told in the past to make ourselves big and to shout and wave and this would stop cows, so we started to do this as they came towards us. Initially this stopped the first cows and they backed away but then more cows appeared from a little wood beside the fence and they all started to run towards us. I felt completely terrified by this point we were stumbling across the field, shouting and waving our arms at the animals. They would stop briefly but then start bucking and rearing and running at us again. In the middle of the field there were some broken down sheds fenced in with barbed wire and we headed towards this as rapidly as we could whilst shouting and waving at the animals. I was unsure whether to release the dog as it all happened very quickly. I was frightened that if I let her off the lead she would run straight ahead and if the cows chased her instead of us they would trample us anyway.
The three of us managed to get to the fenced area and climbed the barbed wire fence. We were all very shaken and scared by this point. However now we were trapped in the middle of the field because the cows lined up at the fence and did not leave. We looked around the fenced area and discovered that the fence was broken on one side so we had to stay on the side we had climbed over so as not to attract the animals near the broken area where they would be able to get in with us. We tried to work out if we could hide in any of the run down sheds but the doors were broken. I climbed onto a rusted tank and sat up there with the dog as it was higher than the cows so they couldn’t have reached us. We were very frightened still as the area was not secure, we were trapped in the middle of the field and had no idea how to get out.
We were considered calling the police for help when two dog walkers entered the field. I waved and shouted “help” at the dog walkers. They stopped and were too far for us to see what they were doing or hear them but they told us afterwards that they were putting a message in a village whatsapp group for people to assist us. As they neared us the cows started to move towards them but then stayed with us. The dog walkers called over that they were going to get their dog out of the field and then come back to help us. When the woman returned she informed us that although these were not her cows, she was a farmer and felt confident with cattle. She advised us that we would stick in a tight group, carry the dog and walk out the side of the enclosure with the broken fence as we would be hidden by the sheds and out of the sight line of the cows so they would not follow.
Fortunately this advice worked and we made it across the field and out safely. By this time another local person arrived and these kind people who rescued us discussed that they thought these were young animals. They thought they had only just been put in the field and were not used to walkers yet. If this is true there should have been warning on the gates and they should have been kept behind a fence away from the path whilst they got used to people. It is not the general publics job to tame these large dangerous animals! Whilst none of us were hurt on this occasion, we were just lucky not to have been and all three of us were extremely shocked and frightened afterwards. This was a terrifying near miss incident.
I have reported to local council and HSE.
This was terrifying experience. A proper near miss incident. A truly awful experience and we were all shocked and badly frightened afterwards. Cows are wonderful animals but they are also large and dangerous need to be fenced away from the path in fields with public rights of way through them. People need to be able to access the countryside safely.
Update: HSE state they are will not do anything unless Lucy can identify the name of the owner of the cattle. (It’s rented land.) The council state it is private land and they have no powers.
Cattle Safety 