PHONE calls from terrified residents alerted Crewe police as a bull ran loose around the town's housing estates.

The adult bull, which had escaped from Newton's butchers in Haslington, ran into the Ashley Meadow cul-de-sac where officers from the Armed Response Vehicle unit were forced to destroy it.

Sergeant Martin Baker, supervising the operation, said the animal was put down by two gunshots from close range.

"It was a big one, about the same height as me and that's about six-foot. It went onto one or two of the housing estates and a few farmers were there but were unable to catch it," he said.

"Although I have sympathy with people who think it's an ungamely way to be dealt with, we had a petrified animal on the loose which could have done a lot of damage.

"We have got to put the safety of the public first and although it wasn't like a tiger being loose, it could have been dangerous.

"We had to make a decision to protect life and property and it wasn't feasible any other way. There isn't agreed policy in the police as regards the destruction of animals, but it wasn't a decision we took lightly."

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