Ewe are nicked! Moment policeman grapples with fugitive sheep that brought traffic to a standstill in Kent
- The farm animals escaped onto the A21 near Tunbridge Wells and caused chaos
- Police were drafted in to help after the sheep halted traffic on Sunday, March 13
- Video shows a police officer desperately wrestling with one on the wet ground
This is the moment police grapple with five sheep which brought traffic in Kent to a standstill after escaping onto a busy main road.
Traffic was brought to a halt for more than an hour and officers given the run around after the farm animals got onto the A21 near Bedgebury in Kent on Sunday, March 13.
Footage shows one officer ending up on the floor holding onto one of them in a desperate bid to stop it escaping.
Five sheep were spotted running on the A21 at Bedgebury, near Tunbridge Wells, in Kent on Sunday, March 13
Police were called in to help farmers round up the farm animals, which brought traffic to a halt for more than an hour
The video was taken by Anna Woods, who was stuck in traffic after the sheep got onto the road at around 11.40am.
After initially thinking there had been a crash, Ms Woods and her children were surprised to see a number of sheep come running past their car, chased by a forlorn police officer.
Three of the escapees could be seen running along the top of an embankment away from chasing farmers and police.
A fourth was caught in a bramble bush before managing to break free of the foliage and running after its fellow fugitives.
Meanwhile a fifth was caught on the hill and wrestled down by one of the police officers, who ended up on the floor while a farm worker came to help.
The pair, aided by another police officer and farmer, then grabbed hold of the sheep and carried it towards a waiting vehicle, before putting it inside.
Ms Woods said it was ‘one of the funniest things I have seen in years’ as the sheep tried to give police the slip.
‘There was a police car ahead and we were worried there was an accident,’ she said.
One police officer ends up on the ground trying to make sure one of the sheep doesn’t make a run for it
He is helped by another man who keeps a firm hold of it as the officer gets off the floor and grips it between his legs
‘We sat there for at least half an hour, then suddenly on the other side of the carriageway five sheep came running down the road followed by policemen and a farmer.
‘It was hilarious. It took them ages and they only managed to round up one sheep when the policeman tackled it.
‘When they said ‘you get the head and I’ll grab the back’ we were on our knees laughing.
‘They got it into the horsebox but someone obviously didn’t lock the door because the sheep got out and it ran off again.
This freedom-loving sheep was eventually bundled into a waiting horse box by police and farm workers
‘Lots of people got out of their cars and were trying to help, and the farmer turned up on a little truck with some barriers.’
She last saw the sheep running back in the way they came from towards Tunbridge Wells.
Kent Police said all sheep were taken to safety and their owner had been contacted.
A spokesperson for the force said: ‘At around 11.40am on Sunday, March 13, 2022, Kent Police officers located five sheep which had left a nearby field and ran onto the A21 near Bedgebury.
‘To ensure the safety of road users, officers managed traffic while the sheep were herded, with a road closure enforced when necessary.
‘By 1.40pm all five of the sheep had been safely herded onto a nearby field and their owner was contacted.’
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