An Englishman has been found crushed to death by a cow in a field just outside the town of Bergerac, south west France.
The body has been identified as that of Richard Barton, an English expat on a hiking holiday in the Dordogne region. Mr Barton, 36, who had no previous experience of camping, had pitched his tent in the corner of a cattle field. At some point in the early hours of the morning a cow had found its way alongside his tent and laid down on top of him. The local coroner reported the probable cause of death as suffocation and severe internal trauma. The death is not believed to be suspicious.
Although rare, this is not the first time such a fatality has occurred. Experts have as much idea about what possesses a cow to lie down on specific objects as they do about what possesses humans to think it's a good idea to sleep in a field full of animals weighing up to a tonne.
French authorities have issued stern and slightly supercilious reminders to casual hikers that sleeping rough overnight on private property is not only illegal and dangerous, but almost always stupid considering the vast array of cheap and safe (but admittedly less romantic) camping options available at regular distances across the French countryside.