The officers who deliberately rammed a 10-month old calf with a police car should lose their jobs, the farmer’s partner has said.

The cow, named Beau Lucy, broke out of fenced common grazing land in Staines-on-Thames in Surrey on Friday evening and was reportedly charging around a residential area.

After damaging at least one car, Surrey Police said they were left with no option but to run the animal over in order to keep the public safe.

Footage of the incident shows a marked police car ploughing into the stricken animal knocking it along the road, before driving into it a second time and pinning it to the ground.

The farmer’s partner, known as Kate, has described the police actions as “horrific” and “disgusting” and said those involved should face disciplinary action.

She told Sky News: “Honestly, when I saw the video, I thought he should lose his job. I just thought it was disgusting, I couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t know if it was his decision to drive at the animal or whether he was instructed to, but the police, when they got out of the car looked pretty agitated themselves.”

The calf suffered a large gash to its leg and is currently recovering in a barn with the rest of the herd.

While it was lucky to not suffer any broken bones, there are fears that the breeding heifer could still die of shock.

Kai Bennetts, 22, who was at the scene said: “One of its back right legs had loads of grazes where the skin had come off.”

After the first strike, he said: “It [the cow] tried to get back up, and then they [the police] pushed it back over and blocked it by its neck and top half of his body and so it couldn’t get up.

“Inhumane is all I can say.”

Davinder Kaur, 49, who witnessed the incident outside her home in Staines, said: “The cow is going through the road, through the footpath. It’s a very small one.

“Someone called the police. He was very scared to come to the road. The police car hit it.

“After a few minutes he got up again. The police car hit him again. Then he was hit again. The police blocked it.

“It was very small, not a big cow. It was no harm to anyone. He was very scared. Everyone was shouting ‘why hit it, why hit’. He [the police officer] was telling us to go back. I don’t know where the mind of the driver was.”

James Cleverly, the Home Secretary has demanded an urgent explanation and Surrey Police have confirmed that the matter will be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) .

In a social media post Mr Cleverly wrote: “I can think of no reasonable need for this action. I’ve asked for a full, urgent explanation for this.

“It appears to be unnecessarily heavy handed.”

A spokesman for Surrey Police said officers had spent several hours trying to capture the cow before the decision was taken to use a police car.

He added: “This matter has been referred to our Professional Standards Department. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has been notified and a voluntary referral will be made in due course.”

Chief Insp Sam Adcock said: “I know that this has caused distress and I’d like to thank the community for their concern. The decision to use the police car is one that was only taken after other methods to stop the cow had failed. There will be an investigation into the actions that led to this, but our focus at all times is on ensuring the safety of the public.

“I know there are videos circulating of this incident, which the public may find distressing. I would ask that these videos are sent directly to us to help with our investigation.”

‘Concern in community’

Lisa Townsend, the police and crime commissioner for Surrey said: “I understand the concern that this has caused both in the local community and beyond and that many people are worried about the welfare of the animal involved. The cow is being treated by a vet and receiving care and like everyone, I hope that she makes a full recovery.

“There is much speculation on social media, which does not necessarily reflect the situation, which was ongoing for a number of hours, or the difficult decisions facing officers on the ground at the time.

“I agree the force were right to opt for a self referral in this instance, and I know they are also thoroughly evaluating the incident internally.

“I would ask everyone to allow time for this to be properly reviewed rather than speculating and causing unnecessary additional stress and concern within the community.

“I am receiving regular updates from chief officers and will continue to monitor the ongoing situation.”