It’s been a long time since most villagers woke up to find livestock being herded down the road – everywhere except Reydon that is.

People living in Lowestoft Road and Covert Road got a rude awakening yesterday morning when a herd of cows were found roaming the streets.

Cathy Ryan, who lives in the village, said: “I am used to waking up to the dawn chorus, but I thought I was dreaming when I heard cows bellowing outside my bedroom window at 5am on a Sunday morning.

“The whole herd of cattle, including the Longhorn steers, were running down Lowestoft Road heading towards Southwold.

“They briefly stopped on Reydon Corner to munch the grass and then turned back and ran to Covert Road.

“The cattle were running backwards and forwards, unclear which was the pathway back to their field.

“I managed to get them back to the footpath leading to their field but needed more hands as there were too many escape routes.

“Eventually police back up arrived and we safely herded them into a field.

“Its a mystery how they escaped and thankfully no one was hurt.”