A woman is recovering in hospital after she was trampled by a herd of cows while walking her dog.

The woman is believed to be in a stable condition but has chest injuries and extensive bruising all over her body.

The 64-year-old, who is believed to have had the dog on a lead, was in a field in Eckington, near Pershore, when the accident happened at about 4pm on Monday.

She is believed to have struggled to Eckington bridge where she caught the attention of fellow walkers, who raised the alarm.

The woman, from Worcester, was taken by air ambulance to Worcestershire Royal Hospital with extensive bruising to the back and chest and cuts and bruising to the legs.

Roger Vincent, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said that people have been killed in similar situations before.

"People must be extremely careful when they are around animals," he said.

"Sometimes the cows feel threatened by dogs, particularly if they have young animals with them."

A spokeswoman for the Ramblers Association said dog walkers should never place themselves between the dog and the cattle, as they were putting themselves at risk.

"If you feel threatened by cows or bulls, let the dog off the lead as soon as possible and let it run away," she said.

"It's the dog that the cattle feel threatened by because they see it as a predator.

"The mistake people make is to keep the dog on the lead, which puts them in danger."

The association said that although dogs must be kept under control, in this situation they must be allowed to escape for the safety of their owners.

It said that for their own safety, walkers are entitled to deviate from a footpath that is obstructed by cattle, providing that they stick to the same area of land.