A spectator enjoys the stunning display by the Red Arrows at the White Air festival. Picture by Jennifer Burton.
VIDEO
AEROBATIC daredevils the Red Arrows have been blamed for sparking a cattle stampede on Sunday.
Hundreds of people had gathered on Culver Down to watch a display by the renowned RAF aerobatics team as part of White Air but as jets roared they spooked a herd of cattle, according to shocked witnesses.
“I was sitting in the passenger seat of our car and I suddenly heard a man shouting for people to get out of the way,” said Barbara Brown, of West Hill Road, Ryde.
“There was a herd of cattle stampeding directly toward us. I saw a family with a small baby sitting on a picnic rug and I still do not know how they managed to get out of the way. If they hadn’t, they would have been trampled.”
Mrs Brown, who has multiple sclerosis, said she was shaken by the incident.
“We have only had the car since July and it was quite badly damaged at the back,” she said.
Other witnesses reported seeing people climb on top of their cars to get out of the way of the rampaging cows.
The cows, which belonged to a tenant farmer grazing them on land owned by the National Trust, damaged several cars but were unhurt, according to the trust’s head warden Robin Lang.
“Thankfully no-one watching was hurt. In future, perhaps the cattle could be moved to a different area. We have never had this problem before,” said Mr Lang.
A spokeswoman for the Red Arrows said they were sad to hear of the incident and would be contacting the National Trust.
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Video by Donna Taylor.