A COW awaiting slaughter made a bid for freedom just hours after the restrictions on cattle movement were relaxed.

The animal escaped from the abattoir in St Andrews yesterday morning and ran from Largo Road to the Grange Road area before it was shot by a police marksman.

It had been taken from a local farm to the slaughterhouse at around 9am and shortly after police received a report that it had escaped.

Police and a vet were drafted in to contain the animal, which had gone into woods in a farmer’s field.

After consultation with the vet and the Animal Health Service it was decided to humanely destroy the cow on welfare grounds and it was shot safely, according to a police spokesman.

To comply with remaining restrictions on the movement of animal carcasses the cow is to be incinerated at premises elsewhere in the country.

No one had been injured during the incident.