Eastrop is a vibrant and busy part of the town centre, boasting a beautiful park and a great pub that sees plenty of footfall.

But what you probably don't expect when visiting that part of Basingstoke is to come face-to-face with a marauding cow.

Yet that was exactly what now-retired police officer David France encountered 55 years ago, when an animal from the town's cattle market escaped.

It was around 2pm when the fresh-faced, 24-year-old cop, who had just a couple of years earlier transferred to Hampshire Police from Sheffield, received the strangest of calls.

But ever the professional, David was not to be vexed. "A police man in those days got such a variety of calls that nothing ever phased you," he told The Gazette.

"I joined [the police force] when I was 19 years old and was in Sheffield and then two years later transferred to Hampshire. I never had a close encounter with them.

"When I first came to Hampshire every town had a cattle market. You very quickly came face to face with cattle in one way or another."

PC France, who years later quit policing to start a career in journalism, including as the Basingstoke reporter for the Reading Evening Post, was sent to the station to pick up PC Keith Attwell, and then the pair headed to Eastrop Lane, where the cow had been spotted.

Shortly afterwards, the then picture editor of The Gazette, Ron Boshier, arrived at the scene to picture the moment.

"I can’t say we enjoyed being photographed looking silly!

"We happened to have a bit of rope in the van but in the first attempt it was a very strong cow and it ran off. Eventually I managed to then grab it again.

"We then bounced it back into St Mary’s Lane and closed it off with the van to keep it in there. Eventually we got it tied to the lamppost and [people from the market] took it away."

Looking back on the 30-minute incident 55 years later, the now 79-year-old, who has retired to Derbyshire, said he was scared on confronting the beast, but quickly clarified: "My fear was that it would be hit by a car. And then I would be accused of allowing an accident to happen that I could have prevented."

He was prompted to recall the memory, and contact The Gazette, after hearing about last month's incident near Reading, when a cow was rammed by a police car after it escaped from a field near Woodley.

It ran along the A329(M) and through a residential area before being hit by the police car. Thames Valley Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over the incident.

"It was the furthest thing in our minds, to harm it," David continued.

"I read what happened [in Woodley] and I thought you could do more to contain it.

"I would have been ashamed, what my bosses would have said if we had dents in the police van!

"There were no great crowds of people and all the same you came face to face with this beast not wanting to give itself up quietly.

"I feel for the bobbies concerned but I like to think they could have handled it differently. But only those involved would have known what to do."