A 46-year-old man was trampled by a cow at a farm near Dyrham Park this afternoon and was unable to summon help for almost an hour. It was 1pm when he managed to raise the alarm and his wife and farm-hand immediately called 999 and Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) sent a double-manned ambulance and an officer to the scene.

Ambulance Officer Ross Culligan said: “On arrival it was clear the patient had suffered quite a sustained attack and there were numerous abrasions to his back. It was at this point we requested the assistance of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

“We were very concerned given the fact that he was recently fitted with a titanium rod in his back following a previous incident where he was trampled by a bull.

“He was given pain relief at the scene and it was decided the most appropriate transport to hospital would be by air.

“All ambulance staff at the scene worked really well together to make the patient as comfortable as possible and transfer him to the helicopter so he could be taken directly to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.”

The patient is believed to have suffered spinal injuries although they are not though to be life-threatening.