READERS have been left shocked after a family cornered a heavily-pregnant ewe.

The family had chased the animal, which belongs to Harry Place Farm in the Langdale Valley, to take ‘selfies’ with it.

The news left one reader astounded by the family, before labelling them as “pathetic”.

The reader said: “Anyone who thinks the family isn’t doing anything wrong needs to give their head a wobble. It’s extremely distressing, frightening and stressful to the sheep which could abort its lamb – this is cruel.

“The family needs a police visit, an official caution and a warning that any more could result in a court summons, fine and possible prison sentence.

“The family are also pathetic in grabbing video evidence showing the farmer getting angry and shouting at them for it. The farmer is rightfully angry at the family’s actions – it could cause the sheep to abort her lamb as a result of the stress they have imposed on it.

“It could also cause the sheep to die through a heart attack brought on by the stress and increased blood pressure caused through chasing and cornering it to take selfish family selfies.”

Another reader commented: “As a frequent visitor to the Lakes who plans to come up again in the summer I despair. Not only do these people make themselves unpopular but it usually give the rest of us a bad reputation.

"The children of Grasmere School have made a lovely and informative film about what we should and shouldn’t do when visiting the Lakes. I hope that we already do these things, but for those who are not familiar with such lovely places it is very useful.”