AN official complaint has been made over the treatment of sheep at a North-East auction mart.

The complaint involves sheep which were apparently waiting to be moved from Darlington Farmers Auction Mart yesterday (September 9).

Resident, Merryn Hewitt, who lives close to the Clifton Road site, claimed that sheep had been kept in the mart without sufficient space to move or eat.

A complaint over treatment of the sheep was lodged with Darlington Borough Council’s environmental health team who have confirmed the matter is being looked into.

The Northern Echo contacted the Darlington Farmers Auction Mart and an employee confirmed the site had been busy, but said no one was available for further comment.