A stampeding herd of heifers ran amok in Nunney on Monday evening, with one unfortunate animal ending up in a private swimming pool.

Annie Wigzell, 84, returned to her home at Combe Farm to find members of the Masters family clearing up after many of the frightened cows had raced through her garden.

One had managed to clatter down the steps to her pool and had fallen through the cover and into the water.

Farmer Richard Masters and his team were able to get the terrified animal out unharmed.

"It was in the shallow end, and we called it across," he said. "It climbed up the steps by itself and looked very relieved to be out of the water."

The pool itself suffered only a few chipped tiles, and apart from hoof prints across the lawn, the well-tended garden at Combe Farm survived unscathed.

"I'm just so pleased that none of the cows were injured and that there was so little damage," said Mrs Wigzell.

"Mr Masters and his family couldn't have been nicer, and they were most apologetic.

"By the time I returned home, the cow had already been rescued, so I missed the sight of it in the pool."

The herd of 14 three-year-old in-calf heifers had escaped from nearby Fulwell Farm and had crashed through a hedge and careered down to the footpath alongside Nunney Brook.

Dog walker Judith Beresford was on the footpath, making her way home in the failing light with her giant schnauzer, called Cleopatra.

"There was a commotion nearby, Cleo started barking, and suddenly we were confronted by a charging herd of cows," she said.

"I'm no shrinking violet, but when the first one glanced past my shoulder, I scrambled over a gate and jumped into the river.

"From the river, I rang Annie Wigzell to make sure she didn't come out and walk her dog on the path at that moment.

"She was on the train coming back from London, and was quite surprised when I told her where I was."

A wide five-bar gate in front of Combe Farm is normally always kept closed, and walkers use a small kissing gate beside it to get onto the footpath.

On Monday, someone had left the main gate open, which was how the heifers made their escape.