Midlothian crime: Police seek lorry driver as out of control dog chases sheep onto busy road

Police want to speak to male driving a lorry believed to have witnessed incident

Police are making enquiries after a dog chased sheep onto a main road in Midlothian.

The incident, which occurred around 1:50pm on Tuesday (April 11), involved a husky type dog chasing sheep within a field at Auchendinny Mains Farm.

This resulted in the sheep being forced out onto the B7026 between Auchendinny and Howgate. Fortunately, no sheep were injured during the incident.

Police are making enquiries after a dog chased sheep onto a main road in Midlothian.

Police are now trying to locate the owner of the dog and are keen to speak to anyone who may have information.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “If you were in the area at the time of the incident and have any information that may assist this enquiry, please contact police on 101 quoting incident number 868 of 12/04/2023.

“Police are interested in identifying and speaking to a male driving a lorry who was passing through the area and is believed to have witnessed the incident.

“Please keep dogs on a lead and under close control and ensure that they do not enter any land or fields where livestock is grazing.”

In 2021, a total of 301 incidents of livestock attacks by dogs were recorded by Police Scotland in 2021 – and provisional figures suggest that number dipped to 262 in 2022.

Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021, dog owners can be fined £40,000 and sent to prison for allowing their pet to attack or worry farmed animals.