HE was dubbed the ‘real raging bull’ when he hit the headlines after giving a driver the fright of her life – but his owner says nothing could be further from the truth.

Tina O’Neill and her partner Ken Fuller were startled when Rex broke out of his field and onto a country lane at Castle Eaton and shared the fearsome image on our Camera Club Facebook page.

Rex was snapped bellowing and snacking on the verge before farmer David Lewis was alerted and put him back in his field in Water Eaton.

But while he can look “big and fierce”, David’s wife Liz Webster said her blonde bull is actually very friendly.

Explaining the reasons behind his escape, Liz said: “There’s another bull in the field across the road. The two bulls end up wanting to fight with each other.

“So, he (Rex) was trying to get across the road to have a battle with the other bull. But he’s an old boy, although he’s big, he would get beaten up by the younger bull.

“So, he was roaring at the other bull.

“They roar at each other, and sometimes it happens in the middle of the night.”

When asked if it was the first time it happened, she said: “Cattle are experts at getting out. It’s extraordinary how unaccustomed people have become in the last 20 years.

“We have a lot of people walking through because we’ve got 10 footpaths here.

“We used to have livestock and people have got accustomed to it, that we used to regularly have to stop for cattle across the road. It’s a shame because it’s part of our British culture.

“But it is something for people to be aware of, because they’re still farms around in these country lanes.”

Liz, who lives on a farm, has owned Rex for around seven years.

“The bulls generally are much more friendly than cows,” she said, “Especially with car, but it depends on the breed. But everybody’s scared of bulls.

“You can scratch him. He looks big and fierce, but you wouldn’t want to get in the way if him fighting with the other bull.

“You’ve got to be a bit cautious around them, but they’re generally quite friendly with their owners.”

Liz said the drivers are currently allowed to drive at 60mph on this single-track lane.

She said: “It ought to be 30mph.

“Because if you drive too fast into an animal, it would be dangerous. There is a speeding issue.”