Grieving families cried this weekend after a herd of cows escaped from their field and destroyed a cemetery, eating the flowers left in the plots.
Mourners cried after visiting South Bristol Crematorium on Saturday when they found the graves covered in the cow boots of the wandering animals.
Four cows from the neighboring field, owned by the council, escaped and spent the weekend causing problems in the area.
People visiting the cemetery tried in vain to corral the cows, and one lady used her cane to try to keep the cows away from the plots, even “muddling” them.
Mourners cried after visiting South Bristol Crematorium on Saturday when they found the graves covered in the cow boots of the wandering animals.
Four cows from the neighboring field, owned by the council, escaped and spent the weekend causing problems in the area.
Police eventually called the cattle owners and helped recover the cows on Sunday, which had ventured further into the city and were found behind some public toilets.
The owner apologized for the problems caused and said her cows can be “very difficult to find.”
Jane Channing regularly visits her son’s grave and said she couldn’t sleep “worrying” about the cows in the cemetery.
speaking to BristolLiveHe said he “couldn’t believe it” when he visited on Sunday and the cows were still there.
He said the visitors were “crying and distraught” and, despite suffering from a serious heart condition, used their walking stick to try to protect the graves.
She told BristolLive: “I’m there walking around trying to get them away, we were even ‘dying’ them to move them, it felt very degrading.”
Visitors were “crying and distraught” over the destroyed cemetery over the weekend.
On Sunday, police helped owner Liz Withers collect the cows that were found behind public toilets in another area of ​​the city: Bedminster Down.
He apologized to the families and explained that the cow had escaped through a gate that had been left open and then through a broken fence.
Withers said she found the cows missing from the field on Saturday and, after being alerted to their location, drove to the cemetery.
But by that time they had already moved on. Then he received a phone call from the police and thanked them for their help. She told BristolLive the council is organizing new fencing.
Commenting on social media, one person said: “I was there yesterday morning at my parents’ grave.
‘We were sitting there at 11am when suddenly, one by one, the cows started appearing at the back of the cemetery.
‘We walked down and tried to guide them back, but we couldn’t. There were four in total. I drove around looking for a worker to report to but couldn’t find anyone. They were having a real feast.