A FARMER is patrolling his land after dogs savaged £2,000 worth of sheep in one night.

Mark Lancaster discovered the bodies of 15 sheep at Lodge Lane Farm in Atherton.

Another 18 of the flock were so badly injured that they had to be destroyed the following day.

Now Mr Lancaster has warned that stray dogs seen on the land will be shot. He says he checked the livestock, which graze in a field off Bee Fold Lane, on Friday evening, so the attacks must have taken place some time between then and Sunday morning.

The sheep, which were breeding stock for next year, were among 200 in the area, and until the culprits are caught, Mr Lancaster says he has no option but to patrol the land to protect the remaining stock. He said: "The only thing we can do is be vigilant. Even going down at night it's pot luck when they strike. It's frightening to think that the dog, or dogs, are still on the loose."

"You can tell from the massive damage that it was a big, strong dog and that it was doing it purposefully. Someone must have realised if their dog returned home covered in blood. It is also likely that it would have been sick, as two of the sheep had been eaten. If I see any dog worrying my flock, I will shoot it. This is my livelihood."

He added: "With all the foot and mouth worries this year this is the final straw.

"It has been a really bad year and with the sheep being breeding stock it puts a downer on next year before it has even started."