Man trampled by cow in Belper Derbyshire

Incident number: 1200

Response ID: 316,758,760

Date of incident: 08.09.25

Location: Belper Derbyshire DE56 2RD. The field was off Wirksworth road/old derby road

Status: Two people with dog on lead on PROW

Natalie’s story: “We followed the footpath through the field with two dogs on the leads. A calf approached us and the mum cow became agitated and making a noise. We slowly and calmly gave it a wide berth but it wouldn’t let us past. The cow approached aggressively, I managed to dodge and my partner told me to let go of the dog which I did. The dog didn’t run and neither dogs were barking. The cow ran at the dog and headbutted her into the air. My partner tried to kick the dog out the way and the cow tossed him in the air and trampled him. He managed to get up and we calmly walked back the way we came and the cow didn’t follow. We were met at the gate by another farmer who witnessed it.

He told us he has seen it numerous times and those cows should not be in the field as they are dangerous. They have previously been reported but apparently the farmer who owns them doesn’t care and does not like people walking through his field despite it being a public footpath.”

Natalie’s partner suffered a severely broken foot resulting in four days in hospital and one operation so far. The dog was unharmed but obviously badly shook up.

She adds “We are keen hikers and we have been told he is likely to suffer pain for life. I believe the farmer should be held accountable and prosecuted. Cows should only be kept in fields with no public footpaths.”