Warning: This article contains graphic images

A farmer is begging dog walkers to stay off his fields and keep their dogs under control after three of his sheep died following a brutal dog attack.

Robbie Woods was left devastated after he came across the bloody scene at his farm in Station Road, Halstead on Tuesday which saw one of his sheep killed immediately and two forced to be put to sleep because of their injuries.

The 23-year-old said he arrived to a scene of “chaos” after an emergency call from a woman who rents stables on his land.

“She said I needed to get down there quick,” he said.

“As I came down the track I could see five dogs running loose and a dead sheep laying in the field. There were two more sheep who were so badly injured the vet had to come and put them down.”

Robbie, who inherited the farm from his grandad three years ago, said the loss of the animals was devastating.

“You can’t be a farmer and not love animals,” he said. “Last year I was here in the rain pulling these lambs from the ewes and making sure they were kept dry and warm.

“I’ve looked after them right up until now and then these dogs come along and just rip them apart.”

Robbie, who is the sixth generation of his family to farm in the area, wants to educate dog walkers on the dangers of letting their dogs loose on farmers’ fields.

“Even if the land is a public footpath, which it often isn’t, and you cannot see any sheep, you should still keep your dog on a lead in case there are sheep sitting under a hedge,” he said.

“If the sheep suddenly appear the dogs could go for them.”

And even if a dog does not touch the sheep, Robbie said the trauma of a chase can be devastating, particularly if a ewe is pregnant.

“It can make them abort the baby. The lambs can get twisted inside the ewe and the umbilical cord can stop supplying the lamb.”

It is not the first time Robbie has suffered dog attacks on his beloved animals. He has had around three attacks a year for the past three years.

Last February one sheep was killed and others were found in woods a mile away from his land after they were chased by dogs.

He added: “I’ve had two- or three-week-old lambs chewed by dogs in the past and babies left next to the bodies of their dead mothers after attacks.”

A spokesman for Kent Police said: “At 9.11am on Tuesday, October 17 Kent Police was called to a report of dogs worrying livestock in Station Road, Halstead.

“Officers attended and spoke to all parties at the scene. One sheep was killed in the incident and two later died as a result of their injuries. An investigation into the circumstances is underway.”