Dead sheep left to rot beside road and in field sparks inquiry

The concerns have been raised about some livestock being kept in fields around Burton Pedwardine and Scredington.

Several residents, who have asked not to be named, have reported the matters to authorities including environmental health and the county’s Trading Standards animal health officers.

One resident told The Standard: “As of last week there has been a dead sheep laid in a ditch for a month at the roadside between Burton Pedwardine and Heckington. There is at least one or two dead sheep in a field nearby that have been there since January in full view and birds pecking at them. Any diseases could be spread to healthy farms.

“My father who is not local farms thousands of acres and this would not happen to him as some agency would be down on him. Somebody needs to step up and bring this to the attention of the public. These sheep should be disposed of properly and quickly.”

He accepted there were some good sheep farmers in the same area too, but sometimes people rent out grazing land. Last year he raised an issue of neglected sheep in a field and a local authority vet had to destroy them.

Mark Keal, business and public protection manager at the county council, said: “In February, Trading Standards were alerted to a sheep carcass in Scredington which was subsequently removed by the responsible person. We will look into this new report and if anyone has any further concerns they should contact the Citizen’s Advice consumer service on 03453 040506.”

A police source told the Standard there are rules and regulations about dealing with fallen stock and most farmers have in place a system to remove dead animals by a licensed collector.

“Leaving such stock to rot on the ground in full display of the general public who are driving or walking by can be upsetting. In rural Lincolnshire this is something that simply should not be done.”