A young calf has died after choking to death on a balloon.

The animal, only six months old and still suckling from its mother, was one of 15 in a field at Frimingham Farm at Detling.

Farmer Paul Burden discovered the body when he went to check on his animals in land near the County Showground.

Warning: graphic images below

He said: “It’s disgraceful. People should think when they send this rubbish up in the air that it’s going to come down somewhere, and this is the result.”

The blue balloon which killed the calf was one of half a dozen that landed on his farm, but there is no message on them or any indication of who launched them.

Mr Burden’s daughter Elizabeth said: “Dad brought the calf round to me. He was really upset, almost in tears.

“People should be more aware of the environmental impact when they cheerfully launch these balloons in the air. They’re a danger not just to livestock, but to wildlife too.”

The balloon was the plastic type, usually filled with helium gas.

The Limousin cross steer calf was worth around £800.

The animal was discovered on the morning of Friday, September 3.