A bull, which escaped from a farm over the weekend, was shot dead yesterday after it roamed on to Pannal Golf Club and became aggressive.

Some players felt the animal’s presence uncomfortably close before the police turned up at about 11am.

The Stray Ferret spoke to a golfer, who asked to be referred to as Shed, who had to play a shot a mere 30 yards from the bull. He said:

“We saw how the bull had been racing around the course. There were marks all over. Then we got to the 12th and we saw the bull in the woods. I needed to play a shot from quite close and it was starting to scratch at the ground in agitation. I still managed to hit the ball and it was quite a good shot.”

The bull’s owner, who had been keeping a close eye on the animal from a quad bike, told police it had pre-existing health conditions.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the farmer suggested the “most humane course of action was to put it down”.

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The police cleared the golf course and sent everyone to the club house before officers worked with a slaughterman to kill the bull.

A spokesperson for the force said the bull had pre-existing health conditions, adding:

“The animal was clearly distressed and was becoming aggressive towards members of the public. Officers were worried it could injure someone or cause a serious collision if it ran onto the main road nearby.”