Armed police were called to Bath City Farm over the Easter weekend after a pair of dogs managed to get into an animal enclosure and maul a sheep to death in front of horrified families.
An investigation has now been launched after one of the two Chinese Shar Pei dogs died while in the care of the police.
Specialist animal handlers and armed police were called to the Kelston View farm at around 1pm on Easter Sunday to reports that two out of control dogs had found their way into the sheep field.
Around 20 people were evacuated while officers eventually managed to capture the aggressive dogs without resorting to shooting them.
The dogs were restrained and placed in separate vans, but when they arrived at the kennel it was discovered that one had died.
Bath Inspector Steve Mildren said: "We sent armed officers and specialist dog handlers to the farm to deal with what was clearly a very serious and distressing incident.
"Other neighbourhood officers worked with farm staff to move visitors away to safety and we put cordons in place to protect the public.
"At considerable risk to our officers the two Shar Pei dogs, which had killed one ewe and which were very aggressive when approached, were contained in a fenced area, restrained and put into separate vans and taken to secure kennels.
"On arrival one of the dogs was found, unfortunately, to have died and we are investigating the circumstances of that."
Insp Mildren said police had now identified the dogs' owner and would be interviewing them about a number of offences, including allowing dogs to be dangerously out of control in a public place.
He added: "This was a very significant incident that was dealt with promptly and professionally by our specialist officers and which, thankfully, resulted in no members of the public being harmed.
"I would remind all dog owners, whatever the animals' breed, that they have a legal responsibility for their pets at all times, to keep them under control and not allow them to be a danger to members of the public.
"I would also remind dog walkers to control their pets during this lambing season. Dogs should be kept under strict control on a lead when walking in fields near or containing livestock.
"In Bath and north east Somerset we have already had a number of incidents where sheep have been attacked and injured, resulting in financial loss and distress to farmers.
"This is a serious offence and anyone found guilty of allowing a dog to attack sheep or other animals is liable to be fined and the dog may be destroyed by order of a court. There is also a defence for shooting a dog worrying livestock under the Animals Act 1971."
Farm manager Matt Smail confirmed that one sheep had died during the incident but that no other animals had been injured.
He said: "Two Shar Pei dogs came onto our site and managed to get through a very small hole in our fence. They attacked a sheep, so we called the police and put into place our evacuation policy.
"It was quite distressing but resolved fairly quickly."
Mr Smail also praised police for the way they had dealt with the situation.Were you at the Bath City Farm on Easter Sunday? If so we would like to talk to you. Email news@bathchron.co.uk or call 01225 322301.
