A man has warned people of the dangers of passing cattle after an unprovoked cow charged and jumped at him.

Kevin Parker, 63, from Fordingbridge, was on his regular dog walk at Godshill in the New Forest on October 17 when he encountered what he thought was one cow crossing in front of him.

(Image: Kevin Parker)

He said: “I held back and let it cross. What I didn’t know was that there was a second one behind the bush about 20 yards away.

“As I walked towards the crossing, the second one charged at me.”

Kevin said he followed guidance on what to do when encountering cattle and shouted and waved his arms.

However, the cow continued to charge, and Kevin stepped back and slipped on the wet grass.

“It was huge! I was seriously concerned that this thing was going to either kill me or seriously injure me,” Kevin said.

As he fell to the ground, injuring his back, he instinctively rolled away and tried to get up.

Seconds later, the cow jumped and Kevin said its front hooves landed exactly where he had fallen.

“If I hadn’t moved out the way, I would have been seriously injured, or worse.”

Thankfully, the cow did not make a second attempt and walked away while Kevin tried to get up.

“I am very fortunate the cow didn’t jump a second time,” He added.

Kevin mentioned that his dog is “terrified” when near cattle.  He said his dog was nearly 20 metres away and didn’t provoke the cow.

After the “very scary” encounter, Kevin has warned people to be “vigilant” when passing cattle. He has said to give them a wide berth where possible.

In July of this year, an inquest began in Leicester after a 29-year-old woman was “trampled” to death by a cow.

Rebekah Morris was walking her dog when she sent her mum an image with the words “cows.”

(Image: Family handout/PA Wire)

Forensic pathologist Dr Michael Biggs, who carried out Ms Morris’s post-mortem examination, told the jury her injuries were “consistent with hoof marks from a trampling incident”.

Advice from Ramblers says that if you encounter cattle on a walk, Keep your distance, stay calm, avoid feeding the animals, and leave gates as found.

If you’re walking with a dog, keep it on the lead. If the cattle run towards you, let go of the lead.