A farmer is to sell the last of his nationally renowned herd today after a horrific bull attack left him with flashbacks and persistent injuries.

Lawrence Haygarth said he would never feel the same way about cattle after his ordeal – which left him bleeding badly in his field at Nether Kelleth, near Tebay.

The 69-year-old was gored by a 1.5 ton Belgian Blue bull which tossed him into the air before trampling him into the ground.

He sustained 17 broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, torn ligaments, a punctured lung, and a dislocated sternum, but remained conscious throughout the attack at his farm.

His grandson Alfie Green, 11, of Staveley, found Mr Haygarth and sounded the alarm. He was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary with severe internal bleeding.

The Westmorland Gazette reported the attack, last October. Now, Mr Haygarth is back at his farm but said he will never be quite the same.

He said: “My bull took me unawares.

“I could see in his eyes he was intent on getting me – he had an angry look about him.

“He knocked me up, bored me down and bellowed, then he came at me again. I could feel my bones breaking, his strength was horrendous,” said Mr Haygarth.

“I tried to fend him off by poking my fingers into his eyes but it made no difference. I thought I’d had it.”

After six months recuperating at home, Mr Haygarth said he was still struggling with injuries.

“Everyone tells me I’m lucky to survive, but I’m not the man I was.

“I still feel my ribs catching,” he said. “I’m very wary of bulls now.”

The former stonemason built up a stock of 45 pedigree Belgian Blues and Blonde d'Aquitaine over 40 years.

He said he was ‘extremely proud’ of the herd he had generated.

However, Mr Haygarth aims to sell his last two cows at the family’s 100-acre farm today along with his tractors and farming tools.

“It’s a bit strange to see the bulls go, but I should be retiring,” he said.

“The attack has made that clear.”