A dad has recalled the frighening moment a rampaging bull charged towards him while he was on the school run before it was shot dead by police.

Andy Lumb was dropping his daughters, aged four and six, off at school when the animal 'clattered past on the pavement' right in front of them.

He just managed to get his two daughters inside their house in Haslington, Cheshire, but the bull 'charged through the hedge' at him and 'only just missed' him.

The area was put in lockdown just before 9am amid fears the animal could escape on to a main road and surrounding housing estates.

Armed police were forced to kill it "before anyone was seriously hurt".

Andy said: "I was just leaving the house in the morning to do the school run on foot with my four and six-year-old daughters when the bull clattered past on the pavement right in front of us.

"I was just able to get my girls back in the house when the bull turned and charged through the hedge at me and chased me round my car and only just missed me.

"The animal was clearly in distress in an unfamiliar environment and in a state of panic."

Cheshire Police said they were called to Wells Avenue at 8.50am on April 20 after reports that a bull was on the loose charging at people.

Locals and pupils in the primary school were put into lockdown as there was a high 'immediate danger to the public.'

South West Farmer:

The bull was later shot dead by police, but Andy said it was a last resort by officers who had tried to calm the agitated bull.

He said: "A lot of effort was made to calm and capture the bull before it was shot.

"Please believe this was the last thing I wanted to see, or my daughters to potentially witness, either.

"But, if there's any doubt about the danger, just imagine if we'd left 60 seconds sooner and been that much further from our front door.

"The school is only about a 100 yards from the end of the road, also."

Andy said the bull broke loose from a nearby abattoir, briefly ran on the main road before ending up on Andy's street.

He said: "There's an abattoir in the village and it escaped from there.

"It's only round the corner from our street so it would have briefly run on the main road before turning off into the side streets and ending up in Wells Avenue."

However, some local residents have said that they hope the police will 'take this matter further with whoever allowed the animal to escape.'

One local wrote on social media: "It's terrified me what could have happened, it nearly charged me but I fell forward out the way.

"My daughter was on her own further down the path as it charged ahead.

"I hope the police will take this matter further with whoever allowed the animal to escape."