Cambridgeshire Police pick up escaped sheep near Tydd Gote

"Ewe've been nicked", police tell the sheepish culprit

A runaway sheep found itself behind baas after being taken into custody by police for jaywalking.

The woolly wanderer was reported running around loose at the side of a road and munching on grass on the Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire border.

But it was caught on the hoof when police captured it and put it in the back of their van.

Officers said the animal "looked very sheepish in [its] new surroundings", and it was later released to its field.

The animal had escaped on Thursday and was determined to make the most of its new-found freedom to "enjoy a meal out alongside the A1101 at Tydd Gote" to the north of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire Police said on Twitter.

A Facebook post, showing the suspect in a cage with the caption "officers quickly rounded up the sheep and placed it into custody", attracted a number of comments.

"What a baarmy situation. Bless his little cotton chops," one person wrote, while another quipped: "Be careful when you interview her, she'll try to pull the wool over your eyes."

Police looked after their un-ewe-sual passenger until they could locate the owner and return it safely.