Coroner says banning dog walkers from cow fields could save them from being trampled

Michael Holmes, 57, was crushed to death by the cows while his wife Teresa Holmes is in a wheelchair. Picture: Family handout/PA

Banning dog walkers from fields where there are cows with calves could prevent more people from being trampled to death, a coroner has said.

It comes after Michael Holmes and his wife Theresa were trampled at Hollinghurst Farm in Netherton, near Wakefield, in September 2020, when they were walking two whippets on leads along a public footpath which ran through a field full of cattle.

An inquest heard the 57-year-old telecomms specialist was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife suffered a fractured spine and is now disabled.

Senior Coroner Kevin McLoughlin, who conducted the inquest, has written a report which stated “such incidents are avoidable” and action should be taken to prevent more deaths.

In his report, which has been sent to Environment Secretary Therese Coffey and Wakefield Council, the coroner said dog walkers had been trampled in that field on three separate occasions before Mr Holmes was killed.

“The conclusion to be drawn is that cows with calves and dogs do not mix well, particularly when the calves are young,” he wrote.

“It is difficult to predict whether a particular cow will react aggressively to the presence of a dog in a field. It was suggested during the inquest, the risk of such a reaction is highest in the months after the birth of a calf.”

The coroner said these incidents, which cause the deaths of around six people a year, are “avoidable if walkers and cattle are separated”.

Mr McLoughlin said councils should be given the power to ban people from taking dogs into fields for a specified period, or farmers should be allowed to put signs up that warn dog walkers about the dangers of taking them into fields with calves.

He also stated that farmers should be informed that the Highways Act 1980 allows them to apply for permission to re-route public footpaths and ensure walkers do not come into contact with cattle.

The farmer who owns the field where Mr Holmes was killed has applied for planning permission to divert the footpath and erect a fence, to separate walkers from cattle.

The Planning Inspectorate is due to make a decision on that application at a public enquiry, following a number of objections.

The Environment Secretary and Wakefield Council must respond to the coroner’s report within 56 days.