A MOTTRAM St Andrew couple found plenty to beef about when they returned home to find a herd of cattle had gatecrashed.
Paul Murray and his former wife Ruth were stunned to discover a dozen animals on the rampage in their 12-acre garden and another in their 30ft swimming pool.
It led to a five-hour drama reminiscent of the Spanish Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona.
Computer firm boss Paul, 52, said up to £10,000 damage had been caused to his home and gardens.
The herd had escaped from a nearby farm. He said: "They had walked around a mile-and-a-half to reach our garden.
"Our open gate was the first thing they saw. They must have decided to be nosy and have a wander around."
The couple had just returned home from a late night trip to the supermarket when they found the cattle running amok.
Police were called and the animals were eventually herded into a nearby neighbouring field. But one of them - described as 'a feisty young bullock' - jumped over a hedge and got back into the grounds.
It then tried to escape over the covered swimming pool, but when it reached halfway across the pool, the cover gave way and it fell into the water.
Firefighters from Wilmslow were called in to help and one brave officer dived into the pool and spent an hour trying to attach ropes around the bullock's neck. The animal was then finally dragged to safety - only for it to escape again.
It was not until 4am, nearly five hours after the cattle cows were first discovered, that the animal was brought under control.
Paul said: "It took no prisoners. The pool cover is green, so it must have thought that it was grass. It was wobbling all over the place like it was drunk.
"It got halfway across when suddenly the whole thing collapsed and it fell in. It was one of the most unbelievable nights of our lives."
Paul added: "There were a lot of ropes around it and the fireman was in there for over an hour trying to get it out. It was incredible."
The bullock collapsed after being rescued, before its owner arrived. Paul said attempts were made to coax it into a trailer, but it escaped again and was left to calm down overnight. It was finally led back to the farm in the morning.
Ruth, 52, a beautician, compared the bizarre scenes to a Hollywood film.
She went on to praise the bravery of the firefighters saying: "They had a right tussle with it. Steam was pouring out of its nostrils."
Mr Murray said he is now speaking with insurers about the 'stampede' damage. "We've had to fill in forms saying 'rampaging cows'. But in all seriousness, the fire service said it was a real danger to people and could cause all sorts of damage," he said.
