A Lustleigh man was left shaken and sustained cuts to his hands and legs after he was attacked by a herd of cows on a public footpath. Graham Penn was out running with his border collie on the path in the Woodland Trust's Hisley Woods, near Lustleigh, when he noticed several Belted Galloway cattle.

Mr Penn, was with his 14-month-old dog, Kelso, when he noticed the animals ahead, and among them was a calf. They headed back straight away, but before they knew it the remainder of the herd came crashing up through undergrowth and surrounded them.

'The animals immediately became aggressive and charged towards us, trying to stamp on my dog, who was by now cowering in brambles,' said Mr Penn. 'I had no alternative but to fight the cattle off with a tree branch, shouting all the time for them to move. 'There were approximately ten animals in the herd and at least seven were attacking at the same time, forcing me into the brambles and causing minor cuts and abrasions to my legs and right hand.

'I'm a fit man, but imagine if that was an elderly lady, she wouldn't stand a chance. 'I don't know who the cattle belong to, I know they all have ear tags, but I was more worried about getting away safely than noting who they are owned by.' During the 15-minute ordeal, he lost his car keys and was forced to walk two miles home before tending to his cuts and abrasions.

He then called the police, who said they couldn't help with the matter, and has since contacted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who he is urging to take action. A spokesman for the HSE said it had received a complaint and will be looking into the matter. 'We will look at the facts, but at this stage we can't say whether there will be an investigation,' said the spokesman.

'We understand the man involved is now in contact with the Woodland Trust.' In response to the incident, David Rickwood, site manager for the Woodland Trust, said: 'The safety of visitors to our woods is of paramount importance and any incident such as this is investigated thoroughly. 'In this instance I would like to make it clear that the cattle in question do not belong to the trust and graze open moorland common adjacent to Hisley Wood. 'There are numerous access points alongside, and the most likely explanation would be that a gate was left open at some point or a perimeter fence may have been damaged in some way. 

'We are working with the Health and Safety Executive, who are carrying out an investigation as we speak. 'In the meantime, I would encourage visitors to observe the countryside code, particularly in the presence of newborn cattle when the herd are highly protective of their young.'

Between April 1996 and March 2006, 46 incidents involving cattle and members of the public were investigated by HSE across Britain. Seven resulted in death.

Almost all these incidents were in fields and enclosed areas. Many other incidents are not reported to, nor investigated by, HSE. The two most common factors in these incidents are cows with calves and walkers with dogs. The HSE has guidelines for farmers to follow to minimise risk to the public, including wherever possible keep cattle in fields that do not have public access, especially when cattle are calving or have calves at foot.

Farmers should also check that fences, gates, stiles etc are safe and fit for their purpose and check paths are clearly marked so that users do not enter fields without public access. They should also assess the temperament of any cattle kept in fields with public access.