By Ivor Traktor, Farming Correspondent (intern)

A cow has revealed it likes nothing more than to trick humans into thinking it is about to rain.

Ethel the cow says she only has to lay down in her field to send every man, woman and child running for cover.

“They seem to have got it into their heads that if I lay down it is a sure sign it will pour with rain,” she said.

“This is absolute bollocks – if I lie on the ground it is because I am tired or that I want to be comfortable while chewing the cud.”

Pull the udder one: Ethel likes practical jokeEthel, five, who works as a milk production executive, added: “Humans think they know better than us, so we like to play along – it helps pass the time of day. Sometimes I will lay down and then get straight up again, only to lay down once more. Humans are totally confused by this.”

Elderly wife Norah Steeple, 84, from Framlingham, confirmed: “Cows do not lay down because it is about to rain. This is an old wives tale.”