A PREGNANT ewe has died after a 'savage' suspected dog attack left it with horrific injuries.

The pedigree ewe was attacked in fields near the Stanley Downton sewage works in Stonehouse on New Year's Eve and had to be shot by the farmer due to the severity of its injuries.

"The head was swollen to three times its normal size and its ear tags were ripped out," said Sarah Spence, owner of Stonehouse-based Nutshell House, which owns the flock.

"We have seen an increased number of attacks but not as bad as this one.

"You can tell from the injuries that it was a savage attack.

"We had to shoot it as it was never going to recover from its injuries."

The ewe was from a pedigree flock and took years of selective breeding.

Mrs Spence is urging owners to keep their dogs on leads.

She said there has been an increase in attacks with around three in the last 12 months.

"Although dogs are a family pet, they cannot be trusted and will chase sheep," said Mrs Spence, 43, who owns around 100 sheep.

"Signs are up asking owners to be considerate and respect the country code. If a dog attacks the sheep on our land we are within our rights to shoot the dog.

"We do not want to do this but we want dog owners to be considerate.

"The emotional and financial impact of these attacks is significant."

The suspected attack on New Year's Eve is believed to have happened at lunchtime.

Any witnesses are urged to call police on 101, quoting incident 289 of December 31.