DOG owners have been urged to keep their pets under control after seven lambs were attacked in free-roaming flocks.

Two of the lambs were savaged to death, while another three were so badly injured they had to be put down, said Mick Holder, secretary of the Forest of Dean Commoners Association.

“We’re having a serious problem with dogs being let off the lead by their owners and then attacking the lambs,” he said. “We’ve had attacks in Bream and Saunders Green, plus Parkend and Oldcroft, and the free-roaming flocks are already under pressure because of the boar, with numbers in serious decline, so this is doubly disappointing.”

The Commoners Association oversees the 800-year-old right of Foresters to own and graze sheep on common pastureland.

“It’s a longstanding tradition and we don’t want to lose it, it’s an ancient right that should be treasured.” added Mr Holder.

“But with the influx of wild boar destroying a majority of the grazing, and making sheep wander further afield, this makes it even more difficult.

“Two of the attacked lambs reported to us were dead and another three suffered such bad wounds they had to be put down. Another two were seriously injured, but have been saved.

“We understand that dogs need to be exercised, but if people can’t control their dogs when they’re off the lead in secluded areas, then don’t let them free to chase and kill sheep.

“Sheep are timid animals anyway, so when lambs gets frightened by a dog, they’ll start running which in turn gets the dogs running after them. And some of them have a nasty streak, so they attack the sheep.

“All we are asking is that people keep their dogs under control. If they are OK off the lead and come when you call, then that’s OK.

“But I’ve seen some people get out of vehicles in the Forest with as many as six to seven dogs. There’s no way they can say they have them all under control once they let them off the lead to run around.”

However, dogs are not the only problem facing the Commoners’ Association with one Forest resident launching a petition to ban the practice of letting sheep roam freely.

Holly Prowse has already raised more than 400 names on her online petition to the Forest of Dean Council, at www.change.org/p/forest-of-dean-council-change-the-old-law-save-the-sheep

She claims that many sheep seen at the roadside appear in poor condition and are liable to injury from passing vehicles.

“This law seems ridiculous and is an old-fashioned tradition that needs changing with all the speeding cars we have these days on these winding roads,” she says.