David Roberts, a tenant farmer in the Llanasa area near Holywell, told the Evening Leader he was shocked to find the dismembered bodies of his pregnant ewes.

A distraught Mr Roberts found three bodies in one of his fields near Gwespyr last week. Seven more were seriously injured and six of those had to be put down by the vet.

They are the latest in a string of attacks on his 2,000-strong flock, which Mr Roberts believes were carried out by dogs. In April four of his lambs were killed and three injured.

Then in August another four lambs were killed and more injured and in recent weeks another two have been found dead.

But after the latest incident Mr Roberts has decided enough is enough.

"It was horrendous, I've never seen anything like it," he said.

"These are sheep we've bred and reared here and it is really upsetting to find them in that state.

"The mess that was made was unbelievable. It's just caused complete devastation.

"All you could see was blood but when you opened up the wool the wound was terrible.

"It will always go for the throat. If the teeth go into the jugular it kills them straight away but otherwise it just rips them and they are roaming around with the wounds."

Mr Roberts, who runs the farm with his son Mathew, believes a large dog could be responsible for the savage attacks on his livestock and now feels that any dog on his land poses a risk.

He said: "It's difficult to judge with the attacks not being every night. But it must be a really strong dog to catch 10 in one night.

"It is doing it for fun not for meat. Once the sheep is dead it goes onto the next one.

"It's got to the stage now where if there is a dog in the field and it is worrying the sheep then we have given permission to shoot. It's not right but they shouldn't be in the field at the end of the day."

The concerned farmer is worried that there could be more attacks.

"Once they get the taste for it they will keep coming back. It's not just about us losing sheep but losing our livelihood for next year," he added.

Martin Price, CBM for North Rural Flintshire, said police would be advising local residents about the incident and warning dog owners in the area to take responsibility for their pets.

"A farmer or someone of that authority is allowed to shoot any dog that is caught worrying their sheep.

"We obviously don't want that to happen but this is costing Mr Roberts a lot of money and we have the welfare of the animals to think of as well.

"On one occasion the sheep were so distraught they were shaking.
"We need this to stop and find out who is responsible for the dog but at the very least we need to protect the sheep."

For information or advice, contact PC Price on 01352 708396 or 07896172367.