12:06pm UK, Saturday February 21, 2004

A farmer who left two dead cows by the side of the road for rubbish collection got a nasty surprise from local police.

Authorities in Rutherford county deemed the dead livestock as "unattended vehicles" and issued them with the tickets.

The cow with a ticket on its hoof

The farmer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee had put the cattle down and left them by his house, which backs onto the road, for collection.

The waste disposal company failed to collect the bovine refuse because they said they did not offer a roadside service for livestock.

The stiffened animals soon caught the eye of passing police who issued the tickets.

The local sheriff's department said they thought the cows were asleep.