Dog owners are urged to control their pets after a calf that was attacked by a dog died.

Lee Valley Regional Park have issued an urgent plea after the incident on Friday (May 22) where the dog, which was not on a lead, attacked a calf at Glen Faba near Roydon in Essex.

The cattle came from the Lee Valley Park Farms, leaving the farm manager Jason Painter distraught.

He said: “In 20 years of farming at Lee Valley, I’ve never seen anything like this.

“We understand that the dog was off its lead, attacked the calf which was grazing and dragged it into a lake and drowned it.

“This is absolutely heart breaking. I can’t stress strongly enough how important it is for dog owners to be responsible at all times wherever they are.

“You must keep dogs under effective control, always be mindful of other visitors and respect the outdoors. Your dog must be on a lead around farm animals.

“If we have to ask you to put your dog on a lead, it’s for a reason. I never want to see something like this again.”