A grandmother was stunned when she returned home from a shopping trip to find a dozen cows in her front garden.
Ruth Brown discovered the herd of cows had been rounded up by council staff in her garden in Darlington, County Durham, after they escaped from a nearby farm.
The 65-year-old, who has lived in the property for 23 years with her husband Martyn, 67, was contacted by a concerned neighbour just before 10am this morning.
Mrs Brown said: ‘I was out shopping and my neighbour phoned me and said you havegot 10 cows in your garden.
Ruth Brown returned to her home in Darlington, County Durham, to find a group of cows waiting in her front garden
The cows had escaped from a nearby farm and council workers rounded them up in her garden because it had a gate. After 20 minutes the cows were taken away by a farmer
‘I took my grandchildren to school, then nipped for some bits in town to come home and there they were. It was a bit of a shock to see them all.’
The grandmother-of-four said the police and the farmer were already in her garden when she returned home.
A wagon then arrived to move the cows while officers closed the road – but not before the cows had a munch on her shrubbery.
Darlington Borough Council said the cows had been rounded up in her garden as it was the first house they could find with a gate to keep them inside.
Mrs Brown said: ‘The cows chewed my shrubs and bushes. The lawn is in a state.
‘Fortunately we have quite a lot of gravel and paving stones. Most of the mess is on them but it could have been a lot worse.
‘The cows were gone within 20 minutes. It was fast work, it was very quick and effective.
The cows chewed on the grandmother-of-four’s shrubs and bushes, but the farmer has offered to send someone round to clear up the garden for her
‘The farmer is going to send a couple of lads to clear the garden up for me.
‘The cows were only young. I do like cows so they were quite cute, they weren’t big beasts. There are worse things to have in your garden!’
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: ‘We received a call just before 9.30am this morning to say that around a dozen cattle had escaped from a field and were loose in Coniscliffe Road in Darlington causing a potential hazard to traffic.
‘The animals were rounded up by council staff within around 15 minutes.’
A Darlington Borough Council spokesperson said: ‘Workers herded the cows to the first gated property and to safety to ensure everything was safe.
‘The cows have now been taken away by the farmer.’
The spokesperson said the council had not yet had the opportunity to speak to the farmer or the resident.
Mrs Brown added: ‘I didn’t think my Monday morning would start like this, itchanged my plans a bit but these things happen.
‘It was definitely entertaining and spiced up my morning!’
Luckily Mrs Brown didn’t seem too bothered by the unusual events- and even said it had ‘spiced up’ her Monday morning
Mrs Brown said: ‘I do like cows so they were quite cute, they weren’t big beasts. There are worse things to have in your garden!’