A farmer has accused vegans of crushing two piglets to death after causing a stampede during their efforts to cuddle the newborn pigs.

200 vegans from the group "Meat the Victims" stormed a farm in Lincolnshire in order to protest against pork.

However, in their efforts to raise awareness about the "cruelty" of pig farming, they were accused of causing distress to the animals and inadvertently causing the death of two.

Farmer Sylvia Hook, from Sandilands Farm on Newark Road in Laughterton, said the vegans terrified her family and caused damage to the farm.

She told Lincolnshire Live: “About 50 of them all piled into a farrowing house, immediately the sows are jumping up and down.

“It's caused the death of two young piglets through being squashed and two other piglets I've had to be taken away to get up and running again.”

The farmer added in an interview with BBC Look North: "The sows were very stressed initially with all the noise and the commotion, jumping up and down, squashing piglets, causing general havoc.