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A hoard of armed police swarmed a farm near Macclesfield after a dog reportedly mauled sheep to death.
At least eight officers were seen at the farm in Gawsworth responding to the rogue animal. Five could be seen with shotguns and assault rifles in hand.
Farmer Alan Jackson, 65, said that 23 of his sheep were killed by a hound that got into his field a week before Christmas.
Soon after it was reported, on December 18 at 1pm, police officers rushed to the scene in two squad cars.
The force piled out in full tactical gear with helmets and utility vests on, brandishing assault rifles and shotguns in the face of the potential threat of a dog.
When they arrived, 19 sheep had already been slaughtered.
Two more were put down when Mr Jackson called the knackerman in to dispose of the carcasses.
A further two died days later, bringing the total to 23 dead.
Mr Jackson told the Daily Mail of the police response: ‘It was a little bit OTT (over the top), I must admit.
At least five of the eight police officers who attended the farm in Gawsworth were armed with shotguns and assault rifles
‘It was a little bit OTT [over the top] I must admit’, Mr Jackson said talking about the armed police
Twenty-three of Alan Jackson’s sheep were killed by a rogue dog in his field on December 18, a week before Christmas
The farmer was only able to take pictures of the dead sheep once it was dark as it took ‘all day’ to recover their carcasses with the knackerman
‘But nevertheless they did come, but when they got there, the disaster had already happened, and the dog was long gone.’
Each sheep is valued at £180, Mr Jackson said, meaning the cost of the killing spree is £4,140, plus £276 for the cost of having the knackerman come out to take them away at £12 a head.
There will also be a cost incurred for the time spent cleaning up the mess, which took ‘all day’.
There was also speculation that the dog in question could have been owned by one of several famous footballers who live in the area.
However, Mr Jackson dispelled the rumour, saying: ‘I don’t think this dog has any connection with him whatsoever.’
He believes he is aware of whose dog the real culprit is, however, with three witnesses all reporting the same person. He did not reveal who he believes is responsible.
Mr Jackson added: ‘This dog in question, I think is kept for a status symbol, and it’s there to ward people off.
‘It’s kept for a reason; it isn’t a pet.’
Mr Jackson said police believed the dog would still be in the field which is why they came armed
Despite the iron response from the police 23 sheep were still killed in the dog attack
Police swarmed the field armed to the teeth with assault rifles and shotguns
But whether he can get a legal case against the owners may be halted because an update on The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act 2025 is due to come into force on March 18, 2026.
This act would empower police to enter premises, take DNA and other forensic evidence from dogs suspected of ‘worrying livestock’. But this new law comes in exactly three months too late for Mr Jackson.
He said: ‘I don’t think illegal action will come of it’.
Mr Jackson said he thought the sheer number of police showed up armed because a neighbour ‘got the story mixed up’ and said the dog was still in the field – so the force turned up expecting an angry dog.
He added that they had ‘handed out leaflets’ and had ‘done as much as they can’ in their investigation.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: ‘At around 1pm Thursday 18 December, police were called to reports that a dog had attacked a number of sheep on a farm on Bradford Lane, Nether Alderley.
‘Officers from the Rural Crime Team attended the scene and found that 21 sheep had been killed by an unknown dog.
‘Armed police also attended the scene, but no firearms were dispatched.’
The total losses after the sheep killing spree was £4,416, including costs for the clean up with the knackerman
Despite him believing to know which dog is responsible, Mr Jackson doubts that there will be any legal action brought against the owner
They have launched an appeal in the meantime for witnesses to come forward, saying the dog may have come from the direction of Artists Lane.
The spokesperson said: ‘If you saw the livestock attack in progress or suspect this was your dog and want to do the right thing, please contact us [Cheshire Police] via 101 quoting the crime reference 25001031283’