A man has told how he "thought he was a goner" when he was trampled by cows as he walked his dog in a field near Yate.

Meirion Jones was set upon by the herd as he walked his dog Floss on a public right of way through a field above Wapley Wood.

He suffered broken ribs, severe bruising, black eyes and a large lump on his head when he was knocked down, then kicked and stamped on.

Mr Jones said the cows set upon him and his dog, who was on a lead, on May 2, and is now warning other walkers to be more wary of cows with calves.

Mr Jones let go of Floss's lead during the attack, so that she could escape, and curled up in a ball to protect himself from the group of more than 20 cows.

The 42-year-old has been signed off from his job as a lab technician at Indesit in Yate for three weeks as he recovers from his injuries.

Mr Jones, who lives with his partner Louise Henley in Chatcombe, Yate, said: "I was walking along the public footpath and entered the field as there were no warning signs. There were several cows in the field but I didn't think it would be a problem."

The herd of about 20 cows and their calves stared to walk towards Mr Jones and Floss, a Jack Russell-Spaniel cross.

Mr Jones stamped his feet to try to scare them off, but says they continued to push him and he was knocked to the ground.

Mr Jones said: "They trapped me and about 20 cows with calves started kicking and trampling on me. It seemed like it went on for ages, but it must have been just a couple of minutes."

The cows suddenly stopped trampling Mr Jones and he managed to escape and phoned his partner for help.

Ms Henley, a volunteer for Dogs Friends, said: "I had a panicked phone call from him saying 'please come help. I've been attacked by cows. I don't know where Floss is and I can't see anything as I've lost my glasses'. I called friends to help search. Luckily I found him, he'd walked to a road but he was obviously in shock and in his words he 'thought he was a goner'.

"He doesn't know why the cows suddenly stopped attacking but he said something else caught their attention, thankfully."

Friends found Floss later, apparently trying to make her way home.

Ms Henley said: "She had only done that walk twice before and was some miles away.

"If they had been where they found her two minutes later she would have been about to cross a busy dual carriageway. Meirion has never had a day off sick in all the time he's been there so has been furious he's been forced not to work, but he physically can't."

Mr Jones said: "I thought I was a goner. They were stamping on my head, and could easily have kicked through my lung.

"I want to warn other people that at this time of year when cows have calves to stay away."

A new warning sign, reading "Caution – cows with calves. Keep dogs on lead" has since gone up at the site where Mr Jones was attacked.

National Farmers' Union South West spokesman Ian Johnson told the Post that these incidents are extremely rare.

He said: "The problem is that both dogs and cattle are extremely curious. It is very, very unusual for cattle to cause any problems to people. It could be that these animals felt at threat from the walker and dog."

"We all have to get along on this island, and dogs need to be taken out for walks. Perhaps we need more segregation of livestock and dogs and walkers. This is a very rare incident."

Mr Johnson advised people who find themselves in a similar situation to Mr Jones to stay still and allow the cattle to sniff around your dog, and don't pick the dog up off the ground.

The law bans farmers from placing most bulls in fields which are crossed by a public right of way but the law does not extend to cows.

The owner of the field was not available for comment last night.