Man cautioned and told to fully compensate farmer near Ryton after his dogs killed a number of sheep

A man has been cautioned and told to fully compensate a farmer near Ryton after his dogs killed a number of sheep.

Police said the punishment is in line with the wishes of the farmer.

The incident happened in November last year when two dogs had got into a field with sheep in, killing two ewes and badly injuring eight more. Only two of those eight survived their injuries.

A police spokesperson said: "We attended the incident and quickly identified the dogs involved and the property that they had come from. Sadly, this was not the first time the dogs had escaped and attacked sheep.

"Following a full investigation and in line with the wishes of the victim, the owner of the dogs received a conditional caution which included the owner of the sheep being fully compensated for their losses. The dogs are no longer at the property.

"We are continually working with farmers, NFU and NFU Mutual Insurance to address this concerning issue and have a number of on going investigations as a team."