290,433,379 incident 778
Glyn Austin’s tale
My story begins on September 1 2023. At about eleven in the morning I set out to walk along a stretch of the Wales Coast Path between Kidwelly and Pembrey in Carmarthenshire (OS Explorer Map 178 402/047).
Whilst walking along what is known locally as Bank y Lord, I noticed that the path was blocked by cattle – a mixture of adults and young. I had two dogs with me and knowing that dogs can spook cattle with their young, I dropped down from the bank on to the muddy flood plain and took a wide ‘walking arc’ around the cattle – even though in a sense I had the right of way! Both dogs were on their leads and were quiet. It was not easy walking on the boggy ground but it had to be done to avoid the cattle.
As my ‘walking arc’ went past the cattle they suddenly charged towards me. I expected them to stop but the animals knocked me over. I tried to get up a couple of times, but was butted to the ground and then trampled. (I’d let go of my dogs by then but this did not stop the cattle from attacking me.) I thought I was going to die and decided to play dead…..the cattle seemed to lose interest then.
Some men working on a sluice gate further along the bank heard my dogs barking and came to investigate. The men made comfortable, phoned for an ambulance and arranged for one of their number to care for the dogs. The Wales Air Ambulance from Dafan was on the spot within minutes along with a police officer. The doctor on the air ambulance team suspected my having internal injuries and I was airlifted to The University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. On arrival I was scanned and x-rayed and found to have five broken ribs and bruising – with thankfully no damage to internal organs. I was kept in hospital for six nights until the trauma ward were happy that I could breathe and keep my lungs clear.
Reporting my attack
I came home from hospital on Thursday 7 September. Since then I have contacted the police officer who attended the scene. The officer reported that he had contacted the owner of the cattle and had been assured that this had not happened before. I was advised that the incident was a civil matter.
I also contacted Natural Resources Wales NRW to report the incident. NRW asked me if they could share the incident with the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and the local authority. Prompted by the NRW a warden who covers the Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire parts of the Wales Coast Path got in touch with me to emphasise the importance of my reporting the incident to the HSE.
I contacted the HSE and was informed that the owner of the land/cattle had a duty to report the incident to them under statutory RIDDOR regulations (Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences), but no one had informed HSE of my attack prior to me contacting them.
“it is not unusual for people to be admitted to hospital with injuries inflicted by cattle!”
Sadly, on the very same day of my accident it was reported that a woman was killed by cattle whist walking her dogs on a bridle path near Welshpool in Mid Wales.
Staff at the Trauma Unit at UHW where I was treated says that it is not unusual for people to be admitted to hospital with injuries inflicted by cattle.
In conclusion.
The Wales Coast Path is a national asset with its own website which promotes the path. So, why are cattle allowed to roam on the footpath? I feel very strongly about this. I almost died. It could have been a child or somebody infirm who was attacked and killed. Surely something needs to be done to prevent cattle from having direct access to one of Wales’ most prestigious tourist routes.
Cattle Safety 