Man 'traumatised' after being forced to play dead in muddy field full of angry cows

Retired clergyman Glyn Austin suffered six breached ribs and bruising each implicit his assemblage portion helium walked his 2 dogs past a nationalist footpath and encountered immoderate cows

A antheral says helium has been near traumatised aft helium had to play dormant connected a nationalist footpath to debar being killed by aggravated cows.

Retired clergyman Glyn Austin was walking his 2 dogs on a agelong of the Wales Coast Path successful Carmarthenshire successful September past twelvemonth erstwhile helium noticed a herd of cows blocking a way known locally arsenic Bank y Lord. He decided to instrumentality a wide arc astir the cattle, but was plunged into a terrifying ordeal that near him with six breached ribs - and that helium says helium volition ne'er afloat retrieve from.

Glyn said: "I thought I was acold capable away, my dogs weren't barking and were some connected a lead, but they conscionable came towards maine and charged maine - possibly 15 of them. Each clip I tried to get up they knocked maine implicit again and trampled me. I past conscionable pretended I was dead."

The section present fears that others, including children, could get earnestly injured oregon worse if they were to locomotion the aforesaid route.

Glyn, who lives successful Capel Iwan adjacent Newcastle Emlyn, said helium kept his eyes closed successful fearfulness for different attack, and could inactive perceive the cows arsenic they walked astir him. He added: "I thought they were going to halt arsenic they got nearer but they conscionable didn't – it's arsenic if it happened successful dilatory motion. I was lying there, pretending to beryllium dead, and I could perceive them lasting determination breathing. I thought my clip was up."

It wasn't until his dogs began barking that a passerby took announcement and came implicit to help. The antheral manafed to scare the cows distant earlier a Wales Air Ambulance chopper was sent to the country to instrumentality Glyn to the University Hospital of Wales successful Cardiff, wherever helium stayed for six nights.

He was recovered to person suffered breached ribs, including 1 which was breached successful 2 places, and bruising each implicit his body. Glyn claims determination were nary signs astatine the entranceway to the footpath informing of the beingness of cattle, and reported the incidental to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Following an investigation, an inspector confirmed successful penning that, aft visiting the area, "it would beryllium beneficial if wide signs are placed astatine either extremity of this footpath".

New signs that person been enactment up astatine the entranceway constituent are informing walkers to support dogs connected leads and to "give cows space", but Glyn did some of these things - and inactive astir mislaid his life.

In a response, a HSE inspector said: "These cattle graze the marshland passim the twelvemonth and person done truthful for galore years. I was acrophobic that enactment affecting the footpath connected the time of the incidental whitethorn person contributed to the cattle attacking you. I person recovered nary grounds that this was the case, the cattle tin freely entree the footpath astatine immoderate time.

"I person fixed proposal and guidance successful narration to the absorption of the footpath erstwhile works are undertaken. I person besides provided guidance to supply those utilizing the footpath accusation astir the beingness of cattle successful that area, it would beryllium beneficial if wide signs are placed astatine either extremity of this footpath. This is besides perchance an contented astatine different locations and footpaths."

Looking backmost connected the incident, Glyn said: "I don't deliberation I volition ever retrieve from that feeling that my beingness was astir to extremity successful a muddy field. It was a precise frightening experience, 1 that has made maine precise cautious astir walking anyplace adjacent cattle. I bash not judge thing volition beryllium done to code the beingness of occasionally assertive cattle connected good subscribed footpaths similar the Wales Coast Path until determination is immoderate benignant of shocking mishap erstwhile determination are aggregate casualties involving children. It seems to maine that wellness and information authorities lone comes into being erstwhile determination is simply a nationalist outcry implicit an incident."

HSE main inspector Wayne Owen said: "Farmers person a ineligible work to negociate their herds to trim risk, arsenic acold arsenic reasonably practicable, to radical utilizing footpaths and different rights of way. All ample animals tin beryllium a hazard to people. Even a gentle sound from a cattle tin effect successful radical being crushed oregon falling. All cattle should beryllium treated with respect. HSE provides guidance to farmers and landowners connected cattle and nationalist entree successful England and Wales, and successful Scotland. Members of the nationalist tin find retired astir steps to safely bask the countryside and respect farming activities by pursuing Government proposal successful The Countryside Code – GOV.UK."

The Wales Coast Path and Carmarthenshire Council were approached for comment.