A SPATE of attempted dog and horse thefts has left people in fear across Herefordshire and a border town.

People living in Hay-on-Wye and surrounding areas have reported two men of around five foot and 10 inches with an Irish accent in a white Ford Transit van demanding dogs from walkers.

George Keylock said he recently heard about a person locally who had two men approach them late at night trying take their dog.

On the evening of November 8, he was walking his dog in Brecon Road in Hay where he saw two men come out of the alley that leads into Wyeside.

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Both men were white, about five foot 10 inches, decent build, between 25 to 35 years old, and one was wearing grey adidas tracksuit bottoms.

As they came out, they both stopped and looked at him and his dog for a good while then continued to walk down the road, said Mr Keylock.

But both men were continuously looking back over their shoulder at them, and after hearing about animal thefts in recent days his suspicions started to rise, said Mr Keylock.

His normal route would be to walk up the path to Wyeside but as it is a very dark path, he decided to hide behind a bush nearest the path for a few seconds to watch if they would change direction and follow him down there.

They did this and started walking quickly towards Mr Keylock, he said.

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To make sure he and his dog were safe, he ran back home.

"It was very sketchy from the get-go," he said.

Shaun Smith said his wife caught two white men of the same description, trying to take his two ponies on November 8 between 11am and midday in Green Crize, Hereford.

They were in a white Ford Transit van, but he couldn't see the registration.

Another incident that was shared on social media took place on the evening of November 6 when a dog owner in Clyro.

A very stocky man, with an Irish accent, wearing a black beanie hat with a built-in head light, and checked jacket got out of the passenger side of a Transit van with an Irish number plate, while the driver stayed inside, he said.

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The man demanded the owner's dog to which he declined.

As the conversation deteriorated from there, he ran with his dog across the fields.

All the incidents have been reported to the police.

Powys Police and West Mercia Police have been approached.