Council officers flocked to reports of sheep roaming about Poplar Parade and Redwood Crescent about 1am to find the animals had disappeared.

The 13 border Leicesters were later found fleecing a feed from a Redwood Crescent property and were promptly herded into a nearby paddock.

Due to the sheepish nature of the animals, council officers were unable to get close enough to them to gain information from their ear tags - leaving the source of the Leicesters as a mystery.

Until yesterday.

A valiant effort by four council officers solved the case by eventually tackling one of the ewes to discover an identification number.

Council environmental services team leader Garry Causon said it turned out the sheep were being borrowed to mow the lawns of the owner's friend.

"Using the identification tag we were able to track down the owner of the sheep, who lives in another municipality," Mr Causon said.

"The friend is currently interstate on business and was unaware the sheep had escaped from his paddock."

He said they were working to have the sheep collected.