Can you rent a different field, move sheep there with a suitable note & directions left for the non existent owner?

You won’t have stolen them, just moved some lost property to a safe location. Likely much cheaper than solicitor…

@kip, I’d second the idea of talking to your local NFU Group Secretary. They have a very good habit of knowing everyone in the farming community (members or not) or at least knowing someone who does know them. They may also give you some insight on the legal side without paying a solicitor.
In fact, if you want to DM me your location I can tell you who to talk to and their phone number.

Lock was broken and sheep put in the field without permission.

They’re your sheep now! Local sheep for local people…

How many sheep are we talking about? Get big livestock trailer, make big song and dance about loaded sheep up and I’m sure the owner will appear and claim them.

I was going to suggest calling the knacker man in, the owner will turn up about a minute after they arrive I bet.

I would have thought that the law allowing you to claim expenses from the owner would make them collect sheep sharpish.

If everyone knows everyone it might be as well to tell the most gossipy person in the village what you’ve been quoted for removal and how you can recover that cost legally… and watch the sheep vanish.

Sounds like ewe have the sheep version of squatters.
Put an anonymous ad in the local paper, ‘free sheep, collection only’. Someone will soon appear to stop it happening.

Yeah good idea. I wouldn’t worry about any motorcyclists or anything coming round a corner into a load of loose sheep

You have never driven/ridden in the Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire Moors, Peak District, New Forest etc etc etc etc then?

OP – you seem to know whose sheep they are. What sort of farmer is he? The type to say ‘yeah, I was trying it on. Empty fields so I’ll pop my sheep on them, what harm is it doing’. And then he’ll move them.

Or the type who will torch the house you have for sale because you’ve crossed him. 🤣🤣🔥🔥

…and they do exist!

Or the type who will torch the house you have for sale because you’ve crossed him.

Just mutter, “I have a plastic lined room, a hatchet and access to hungry pigs”.

I am not a lawyer but believe you can get bailee’s powers of sale. You will need to follow the correct process of attempting to notify, need to pass on the proceeds of the sale (minus costs incurred) etc

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1977/32/crossheading/uncollected-goods

.

I’m reminded of a thread many years ago which turned out to be allegorical and related to Israeli settlers on Palestinian land.

Dye one sheep green,wait a couple of days and dye another, then contact the local newspaper to run a story.😊

Trading standards have a duty to record sheep movements in their area and if they were to find sheep moved onto any land unrecorded then they have a corresponding duty to persecute (sic) the perpetrators , just sayin’………
All sheep ear numbers are traceable via the AIMS system and sheep without ear tags are illegal and by that logic non existant …….

Dye one sheep green,wait a couple of days and dye another, then contact the local newspaper to run a story.😊

I think I would go to local paper anyway.

They would love a nice ‘mystery sheep break into villagers field’ story with a pun headline…

Don’t take advice from anyone who hasn’t passes the bah exam.

To be fair, that’s a pretty low baa to jump over.

In north Wales ears are clipped in a particular fashion and the farmers have books to indetify the owners. Used
When rounding up sheep before winter. Started way before plastic tags and still done today. No idea if done in other
Parts of the country.

Thanks again for advice, info and humour.

We have contacted trading standards who would only do something if we have ear tag details, which, as none of us are local, is proving a little difficult. We have one localish person who’s keeping an eye on the property and reported the sheep being back on the land in the first place. Not sure how good she is with a zoom lens as I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be great at catching sheep!

Not sure if the potential sheep owner (PSO) is just trying his luck to keep them on the land for free, or if he’s keen on a bonfire. Hoping it’s the former!

About to see if anyone had any luck contacting the PSO (Jeez, we’ve got acronyms now!), but doubt it as I’d like to think they’d’ve told me.

which, as none of us are local

I bet at least one person on here is though.

free sheep, collection only’

Is this still available?