A POSTMAN suffered serious spinal injuries after being attacked by a rampaging cow as he crossed a field to deliver letters to nearby houses.

Alistair Johnson, 41, of The Grove, Whalley, was on a public footpath through Lawsonsteads Farm, Brookes Lane, Whalley, at 8.40am yesterday when the drama took place.

The cow, which was protecting its new-born calf, has been destroyed. Alistair, who works for the Royal Mail depot at Chester Avenue, Clitheroe, was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary with spinal and facial injuries. He was then transferred by helicopter to the spinal injuries unit at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

Farmer Alan Coates, of Lawsonsteads Farm, said: "One of my heifers calved during the night, and she was trying to protect her young as the postman walked across the field.

"The heifer just flipped, and has since been destroyed. The postman usually cuts through my field on a public footpath to deliver to houses on Brookes Lane, so it was a route he would normally take."

A Royal Mail spokesman said Alistair was undergoing tests and added: "We take the safety of our staff very seriously and provide guidance on how to avoid attacks by dogs, for example.

"This is an extremely unusual incident and not the sort of thing we normally have to deal with. Our main concern at the moment is for the welfare of the postman, who is undergoing tests in hospital, and for his family."

Whalley residents were shocked to hear of the incident involving the popular postman.

Harry Barlow, landlord of the Swan Hotel, said: "He is well-known in the village, and is efficient and certainly very popular." A spokesman for the National Farmers' Union said it was very rare for a cow to attack a person.

"These situations can happen when cows are being protective to their offspring, especially around this time of year, but it is very uncharacteristic for a cow to attack. A farmer would not knowingly put an animal that was showing signs of aggression in a public place."

Alistair's colleague, Alan Life, of Buccleuch Avenue, Clitheroe, who also delivers the mail in Whalley, said: "I heard about the incident, and I just hope Alistair will be all right. He's been working for the Chester Avenue depot in Clitheroe for about 10 years."

Neighbours said Alistair lives with his mother Barbara, who had gone to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

She did not want to talk about the incident today.

A spokesman for the Ramblers' Association said: "Our sympathies go out to the postman and we wish him a very speedy recovery.

"This awful accident shows even animals normally considered docile are dangerous when they have recently calved."

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