SCHOOLCHILDREN and villagers were terrorised by a rampaging cow running wild in the streets of Netherton.

Two people were injured and taken to hospital, a car was damaged and more than 60 children had to take shelter inside a school as the demented cow charged at people and vehicles around the village on Thursday afternoon.

Police were called out in force and Hinchliffe’s Farm, from where the beef cow had escaped, scrambled 12 men and numerous vehicles to try to catch the aggressive beast which had dived under a lorry barricade to break free.

After a madcap chase around the housing estate and a recreation ground lasting about an hour, the animal was finally penned into one of Hinchliffe’s own fields.

The police were on the verge of bringing in the armed response unit when owner Simon Hirst speeded things up by calling his slaughterman who arrived and humanely destroyed the beast with a single bullet to the head.

The drama began at 3.27pm when a member of the public rang 999 to report that a rampaging cow had attacked a woman in Coppice Drive, Netherton.

Police, ambulance and staff from Hinchliffe’s Farm arrived promptly on the scene.

There was blood on the pavement from the woman’s leg. She was taken to a nearby house and comforted by a neighbour until the ambulance arrived to take her to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, where she received two stitches for a cut to her leg.

The second person to be injured was 11-year-old Annabel Oldham who was just returning home from Newsome High School in the car with her mum, Lisa, when the cow struck again.

Lisa, a solicitor, of Maple Croft, recounted the dramatic events which then unfolded.

“We saw the large brown cow walking in the parking area at the side of our driveway, but we were not worried at all,” she said. “Cows are normally placid – we thought it was quite amusing really.

“Then we both got out of the car and the cow turned round and ran across the garden towards us at top speed. I managed to get back inside the car and just as I slammed the door shut it charged me and dented the door.

“The cow came at Annabel from behind and knocked her flat on her face, hurting her hand and arm. As she was lying on the floor, it turned round and came back towards her.

“I screamed at Annabel and bundled her into the car. We didn’t have time to shut the door and the cow shoved its head inside, but couldn’t get its legs in.