DOG owners are being reminded to keep their pets under control after a sheep was attacked at Hengistbury Head.

Rangers discovered Zider, a Shetland sheep, had been injured on Monday.

The animal has been treated for its dog bites, but senior ranger Brian Heppenstall said they were taking the attack “very seriously”.

“It is important to remind everyone that Hengistbury Head is a reserve designated for the protection of wildlife, and dogs should be kept under close control,” he said.

“We have a lot of dog walkers here and the vast majority are very responsible. However, we are still too often seeing dogs running loose through fields where livestock or vulnerable wildlife, such as Skylarks, are present.

“We are taking this injury to Zider very seriously and will be monitoring the flock’s grazing area for future incidents involving dogs and responding accordingly.”

Earlier this month, figures revealed the cost of insurance claims from livestock worrying has reached a record level.

The cost of dog attacks on livestock reported to leading rural insurer NFU Mutual rose by nearly 50 per cent across the UK in 2016.

They said between January and April, when pregnant ewes and lambs are often grazing on low-lying pasture in areas more accessible to walkers, the cost of claims more than doubled.