A dad has told how a rampaging bull charged and "just missed" him moments after he had put his kids in the house.
Andy Lumb, from Crewe, said he had to act quickly get his young daughters back into their house and 60 seconds later it could have been a very different story. The bull was later shot dead by police.
He and his two daughters, aged four and six, had just left their home on Wells Avenue in Haslington ready to set off to school on Wednesday morning when they were shocked to see a bull stampeding along the pavement right in front of them and close to The Dingle Primary School at around 8.50am on Wednesday.
The bull had escaped and was on the loose on Wells Avenue, just as the busy school run was taking place, reported CheshireLive.
Quick-thinking Andy managed to usher his daughters back in the house moments before the rampaging bull charged at him through the hedge, chasing him round his car and only just missing him.
Police including firearms officers were called out to the incident, with the bull having to be shot to protect local residents.
Residents had been told to stay indoors. A terrifying video shared with CheshireLive by Andy Lumb shows the bull standing in the middle of the street before it begins to move.
Andy Lumb told CheshireLive: "I was leaving our house on Wells Avenue at about 8.40am to do the school run on foot with my daughters when the bull clattered past on the pavement in front of us. I got the girls back in the house when the bull turned in my neighbours drive and charged at me, jumping through the bushes and chasing me round my car, only just missing me.
"The bull was clearly in a state of distress and panic. It then ran across the road and tried to jump into or through a large hedge but it couldn't get through so it turned and ran back up the road. A lot of effort was made to calm and capture the bull before the police made the decision to shoot it.
"This was the last thing I wanted to see or my potentially have my daughters witness either. I'm just glad we hadn't left the house left 60 seconds earlier or I might have been caught in the street with the girls and things could have been a lot worse.
"The school we were walking to is only about a 100 yards from the end of the our road. I'm just glad that no one was hurt but sorry they had to put the bull down!"
Other parents have spoken of their horror at seeing the bull on the loose, with one commenting on social media to say it nearly charged her but she fell out of the way. Meanwhile, she said her daughter had been further along the path but thankfully was not hurt as the animal thundered past.
Police said they had no choice but to kill the bull to protect all those in the vicinity, since it was charging at people. Local residents were advised to stay indoors, with the bull said to be in an agitated state and posing an immediate threat to their safety.
Police have come in for criticism from some quarters over the decision to shoot the bull, with some people commenting on social media that "that poor animal would have been terrified".
Cheshire Police said there was a risk of the bull escaping onto the main road and surrounding housing estates which could have caused a serious accident. They added that they had worked with the owner of the bull to try to secure the animal to no avail, stressing that any decision to euthanise an animal was 'never taken lightly'.
They said the main focus here was to protect residents, including those dropping children off at the primary school.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: "At 8.50am on Wednesday 19 April police were alerted to a bull on the loose and charging at people in Wells Avenue, Haslington. Local officers, supported by firearms officers, attended the scene and local residents, including the nearby school, were advised to stay inside as the bull in its agitated state posed an immediate threat to their safety.
"There was also a real risk of the bull escaping onto the main road and surrounding housing estates which could have caused a serious accident. Officers with the help of the owner attempted to secure the bull but the owner was unable to do so and the immediate danger to the public and the officers was high.
"A decision had to be made to dispatch the animal before anyone was seriously hurt. This decision is never taken lightly and the main focus here was to protect residents, some of whom were dropping children off at the nearby school."
