A RUNAWAY cow wreaked havoc on Shap Road in Kendal this morning, injuring two people after it tossed them into the air.

The black Friesian cow escaped from Kendal Auction Mart on Appleby Road at around 10am.

It is believed it ran down Appleby Road and onto Shap Road before being herded by two men and a lorry into Kendal Cricket Club ground.

Two police marksmen were called to the scene and shot the animal dead.

One of the injured is a man who works at Furmanite International Limited.

The identity of the other victim is unknown.

Eye witness David Harley, a kitchen delivery man, said: “When I saw the cow it was really revved up and angry.

"I saw it injure one man outside the Porsche garage, it tossed him up in the air like a rag doll.”

Sergeant Pearman said: “The animal was in such a state we had to take the decsison to call the marksmen.

"The walls around the ground were not sufficiently strong that we could guarantee the cow would stay within them.

"With people coming and going from businesses and there are schools nearby so we couldn’t assure the safety of the public.”

Ten police officers, two ambulances and a fire and rescue team attended the incident.