A DOG walker was airlifted to hospital on Monday after being trampled by cows on what is believed to be common land.

The woman was injured as she walked through fields near Corfe Castle shortly before 5pm.

She suffered head and chest injuries and was flown to Southampton General Hospital.

A spokesperson from the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance said: "We were called at around 5pm to a location near Corfe Castle.

"It was reported that an adult female had been crushed by cows.

"She had suffered chest and head injuries."

A land ambulance and a rapid response car also attended.

Paramedics initially planned to take the woman to Dorset County Hospital, but eventually decided that she should be treated at Southampton due to the severity of her injuries.

A woman who saw the victim being treated before she was taken to hospital said: "The lady was with her husband and they were walking their dog.

"It's very concerning.

"I heard that they had let their dog off the lead, which is the instruction for dog walkers who are chased by cows, but the cattle completely ignored the dog."

The witness claimed that the couple had been walking on public land before the incident.