A farmer has been left devastated after finding his ewe mauled to death from a dog attack.

The animal was found in the Loose Valley, near Maidstone, and Joe Cain, owner of the flock, was phoned by someone who had spotted two dogs running around his sheep on Monday.

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He said: "We counted the flock and quickly realised we had one missing. When we found the one that had been brutally attacked and killed; we were just in utter shock and devastation."

He added the caller mentioned a dark-haired woman is thought to be the owner of the two dogs. They were off their leads.

They are believed to be Dogue de Bordeaux. The animal was found to have wedged itself between two tree trunks, in an effort to escape.

Mr Cain, along with his partner Millie had started their flock in 2016 with two ewes.

Since then they have grown their flock reaching more than 100 sheep. He said: "We know all of our sheep individually and we remember this particular ewe being born. It horrifies us to know how much pain she would have been in when she died."

The ewe was found to have lost both ears and suffered a fatal blow to the head.

Mr Cain reported the attack to police and said officers took DNA swabs from the wounds in an attempt to find a match.

He said: "Throughout winter our sheep would graze the valley in order to provide an efficient way of eating back all the overgrowth and wildflowers whilst preserving the wildlife that live amongst it."

The valley is a dog walking destination with a small river running adjacent, as well as being a quiet area away from the town centre.

There are several signs asking for owners to place their pets on a lead and to be considerate of the animals there.

Mr Cain added: "Although we cannot change what happened that day with the dog attack, we really want her life to be a reminder to all dog owners to be responsible and to keep dogs on leads around all livestock.

"It takes two seconds to clip your dog on a lead for the sake of saving a life."