18 sheep have been found dead in a field near Northallerton. They had been attacked and killed and others in the field were injured.
Police say it is most likely that a loose or out of control dog (or dogs) were to blame.
The field is between Warlaby and Ainderby Steeple and has a public footpath running through it.
It happened sometime between 4pm on Friday 8th January and 4:30pm on Saturday 9th January 2021.
If you saw anything or have any information about this incident, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote reference number 12210011661.
Important advice for dog walkers
• When walking dogs in fields containing sheep it is vital that you keep dogs on leads at all times.
• Loose dogs, regardless of how well behaved they would normally be, can get into the thrill of the chase and become uncontrollable very quickly.
• Sheep can easily be injured or killed, or if pregnant ewes are chased around a field by a dog it can cause the ewe to abort unborn lambs and later die itself due to medical complications.
Meanwhile Sixteen sheep died after falling through ice.
Fire crews were called in on Saturday evening after the sheep wandered onto the frozen pond at Burton Leonard, near Ripon, causing the ice to crack.
Firefighters used two inflateable walkways and a raft as they fought to rescue the sheep.
19 animals were saved.