Wild boar charges at dog walker in Chippenham (From This Is Wiltshire)

A wild boar charged at a terrified man out walking his dog in Chippenham.

Paul Gardner, 43, was out with his labrador near the entrance to the field between Sheldon School and Chippenham Football Club on Tuesday at 7.30pm when he saw the tusked beast.

“I heard a rustle in the bushes then this thing was looking at me,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been more than 20ft away from me. It started charging towards me and I screamed like a girl.”

Mr Gardner, of Brook Street, Chippenham, said the boar retreated after he shouted.

He said: “It looked like a big brown pig. As it came closer I could see it had tusks. I’d normally be walking my dog with my 11-year-old daughter so I’m just glad she didn’t come with me that night.”

His labrador, George, did not seem unsettled by by the experience.

Mr Gardner, a former Sheldon School pupil, said he was worried about the possibility of children coming across it.

He called his wife Deborah after the shock sighting. She said: “He rang me on the mobile and said, ‘It came for me’. This isn’t what you expect to see when you go walking your dog.

“ “There was a lady with a little girl there so he warned them to be careful. It’s important to find it before someone gets hurt.”

The scare came after several sightings earlier last week. Police received calls saying a wild boar was on the loose on the A420 last Thursday. Boars can stand taller than one metre and one was spotted near Allington Farm Shop, near the A350 junction.

Six officers were out looking for the wild animal seen by Mr Gardner until 2am yesterday. The boar had not been found as of yesterday and police were warning anyone who may see it to avoid it.

Chippenham police Sergeant Phil Connor said: “It is not a tame animal. Do not approach it. Wild boars are known to be unpredictable. Anyone who sees the boar should ring police immediately.”