Easy Rider

A safety warning was issued yesterday after drunken revellers began a new craze of riding COWS on Midsummer Common.

cows Exams midsummer common orgy red poll beef cows

A safety warning was issued yesterday after drunken revellers began a new craze of riding COWS on Midsummer Common.

Intoxicated post-exam partygoers have been seen mounting cattle on the Common where 12 Red Poll beef cows graze.

Herd owner Angelika von Heimedahl has also witnessed dogs and cyclists chasing the herd and has reprimanded parents for allowing children to roam through the herd.

She said: 'I'm not too concerned about the cows – if you ride a steer it will just buck and throw you off, but that could be quite dangerous for a drunken person.

'They can kick or head butt, and it can be quite painful. Cattle are something to look at and they are not pets – people think they enjoy being stroked, but they don't, they just tolerate it.'

Cattle have grazed on Midsummer Common since the 12th century and are no stranger to drunks – Midsummer Fair in 1905 was described as a 'Bacchanalian orgy'.