Amusing cows - but serious underlying issue

On the surface the incident is vastly amusing - but not if you are the owner of the cattle or one of the residents whose property was damaged when the heifers got loose.

The cows might have caused a bit of a grin, although the escapees do underpin the care people need to take while walking in the countryside.

It seems a walker or dog owner left a gate open - leaving a clear route for the cattle to make a run for it.

In this case it was fortunate nobody human - or bovine - was injured in any way.

So if you're out and about in the countryside, take the police's advice about closing gates and have a thought for the livestock farmers - all common sense.

In this case the farmer is paying for the damage caused, and the incident wasn't even his fault.

Nice beaches, shame about the seawater grade