WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

A farmer is calling on owners to be more aware of the dangers their dogs can cause to livestock after one of his sheep was attacked.

George Johnson owns about 100 sheep across the county, including nine at a field in Shawstead Road, Lordswood in Chatham.

Mr Johnson found one of his ewes dripping in blood following an attack by a husky earlier this month.

"Although I was there the night before, I wasn't at the farm on the night it happened," the 19-year-old explained.

"But somebody let me know it was a husky which was the cause.

"One sheep got injured and didn't look too good at the time, but has improved since.

"She was bitten around the head and on the ears, and of course the dog spooked the other eight sheep which were in the field - something which can affect them quite a lot.

"It may have led to me losing some lambs in their early gestation period.”

Mr Johnson says it is not the first time his animals have been attacked by a dog while in the field.

"A little while ago a Japanese akita frightened more of the sheep.

"We also lost one of our rams before and saw another one lose their ear due to a dog - thankfully we reported it to the police and the person involved got caught on that occasion."

Although the dog involved in the latest attack caused no long-lasting damage to his sheep, Mr Johnson says he has contacted police again in a bid to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.

A spokesman for Kent Police added: “Officers from Kent Police’s Rural Task Force are investigating a report that, between 3pm and 4pm on November 2, a dog injured a sheep and worried others in a field near Shawstead Road, Lordswood.

“The person responsible for the dog provided their details at the time of the incident and inquiries are underway into the circumstances.”

Mr Johnson is urging owners to keep their dogs on leads when they are near farm animals and on public footpaths.

"People walking their dogs near farms on the urban fringe and in the countryside need to be more aware of this issue,” he said.

"I had to have a word with somebody the other week whose dog wasn't on a lead by the field and they just ignored me.

"We have signs up everywhere asking for dogs to be on leads, but it doesn't seem to stop some people.

"I just think some dog owners are unaware of what can happen, especially as some breeds can be more unpredictable and aggressive.

"You could say harsh implications should be in place to stop this happening, but of course there are - but only if you're caught.

"The rural police team have been great in the past when things happen, so for me it's all about awareness from dog owners in the first place."