Police rounded up the goat, which was on the loose in a village near Chippenham.Photograph: Wiltshire police

An escaped goat which went on a rampage in a Wiltshire village was safely lassoed by police carrying riot shields.

The runaway ruminant mammal was trotting around Upper Seagry, near Chippenham, and was seen chasing a woman around the village and trying to eat oranges from a Christmas wreath, an eyewitness told the BBC.

Wiltshire police used riot shields and a lasso to catch the animal before it was safely returned to its owner.

The goat also attempted to munch on safety equipment from the back of the officer’s car.

“Apparently it’s not very nice,” one of the officers can be heard saying on bodyworn camera footage.

The officer added: “We’ve got it on a tow line, we’ve got some [riot] shields because he’s trying to butt my head.”

The animal briefly slipped the lasso before being re-captured and taken home on Thursday morning.

A Wiltshire police spokesperson said: “PC Ferris and PC Miller, from Chippenham Response, swiftly responded, controlled the situation and returned the goat to his owner.”

In October, an attempt to retrieve a stranded goat at the bottom of a bridge arch led to an emergency call-out in Cumbria to rescue someone attempting to save the animal.

Three fire crews and police were sent to Longtown Bridge in Carlisle after reports someone had gone into the water while trying to reach the animal.

They had managed to extricate themselves but to “prevent a repeat incident”, fire officers were sent to retrieve the animal, Longtown fire station said.