A farmer has told of his devastation after 30 of his pregnant ewes died following a sustained dog attack which is believed to have lasted hours.

Scores of livestock were found dead in a field near Deerton Street, Teynham, Sittingbourne, in what police have described as "possibly the worst livestock attack we have ever had".

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The shocking incident has rocked the community who now fear there could be further attacks on animals - or even children.

Shepherd Duncan Anderson, who also runs butchers SW Doughty in Doddington, says he "felt sick to the pits of my stomach" after he found the sheep, adding that he "couldn't function properly".

Speaking about the discovery of the dead animals, he said: "I was doing the ‘daily look’ on Boxing Day at lunchtime and I came across a gentleman walking two dogs who had discovered them 20 minutes before.

"It is quite remote and he was asking who the shepherd was.

"There was only one sheep in the middle of the field which had its throat ripped and had been eaten a little by the dogs.

"The majority of sheep killed were in the corner of the field and had been trampled.

"There were 24 of them lying there and three live ones among them, and most of the dead ones were not bitten.

"I believe the dogs were there for two to three hours - it was a sustained attack. Eventually the dogs went home when they got fed up."

The flock - who were all pregnant with twins and triplets - were attacked between Christmas Eve and 1pm on Boxing Day.

Three are still missing.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have seen or heard anything, including reports of barking being heard between 4pm and 5pm on Christmas Day.

Mr Anderson, 59, said: "The sheep have a value of £200 to £250 each, and that’s without the loss of lambs.

"The sheep we lost were probably carrying about 75 lambs, as they were all twins and triplets.

"We would’ve sold the lambs in the summer for £100 each.

"Many of them would’ve come back into the flock as breeding females so it will take time to build the numbers back up."

He says the sheep are insured, but it has taken Mr Anderson 15 years to develop the "pretty unique breed".

"The sheep are based on a Dorper which is a wool-shedding sheep and you won’t find many in Kent," he added.

"They’re not a purebred. They’re my own breed and a close flock so we breed all our own rams and females, which we’ve done for the past 10 years.

"They don’t need sheering or their bums cleaned so much as they don’t have the wool."

Mr Anderson owns a 60-acre field which is divided by various streams and rivers, and is mostly marsh ground.

At the time of the incident, 101 sheep were in the field and almost all of them were bitten.

He added: "The sheep know and trust me. They expect me to look after them.

'I have been doing it for 40 years and I have lost one or two sheep, but never to this extent....'

"I don’t know anyone who has had an attack like this before.

"We had the odd one where one or two sheep have been chased.

"I have been doing it for 40 years and I have lost one or two sheep, but never to this extent.

"I felt sick to the pits of my stomach for about two hours after I found them. I couldn’t really function properly."

A police investigation has since been launched into the incident.

PC Marc Pennicott, of Kent Police's rural task force, told yesterday how it is "possibly the worst livestock attack" officers have ever seen.

He added: "We believe they may have been attacked by one dog but cannot rule out that more dogs may have also been responsible.

"The farmer has not only suffered a financial loss due to this incident but animals have needlessly lost their lives.

"These dogs would have been covered in mud and returned home exhausted and we are committed to identifying their owners.

"Sheep targeted were pregnant with twins or triplets and the remaining livestock have also been left vulnerable to a further attack, so it is extremely important that we find who is responsible for these dogs as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, residents have raised concerns over the incident.

Ngaire Osmer, 53, says one of the injured sheep hobbled into her garden on Boxing Day with a large gash wound on its leg.

And she is concerned about the safety of children, particularly those attending a primary school about three miles away.

"The dogs have roamed, they’ve killed and then they’ve gone home," she said. "You can’t tell me nobody knows what has happened.

"My concern is what happens next with these dogs.

"They are somewhere in our local community and there has to be something done.

"The question is, how will this escalate? Will there be another attack or will it escalate to an attack on another human?

"I am really concerned about what this behaviour of these animals will lead to as there is a small local school in range.

"There are quite a lot of young children and plenty of dog walkers locally."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 01795 419119, quoting reference 26-0510.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form on their website.