A FAMILY firm has won two top industry awards for an innovative piece of farm machinery.

Mr John Walton, 47, of JDW design, at East Cowton, near Northallerton, came up with a new take on bale stackers last year.

His Walton Eclipse stacker is capable of stacking 1,000 bales a day.

The design won the Loven cup for best new product under £5,000 and the Maurice High trophy for the best new product at the Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers' Association show last month.

It was the first time Mr Walton, who runs his business with his wife, Margaret, had entered the competition.

"It is all down to market research," he said.

"The judges said they were giving me the prize because I had listened to farmers and responded to their needs."

The stacker is the first machine the firm has marketed for itself, after having a string of design successes for larger agricultural machinery manufacturers.

Mr Walton's first customer for the new machine was farmer and contractor Mr Brian Peacock of Leake Hall Farm, near Northallerton.

"We tried out the prototype here last year and he's taken the finished article," said Mr Walton.

"It is nice to have a locally-designed product being used by a local farmer."

Our picture shows Mr Walton, left, beside his bale stacker, with Mr Peacock, his first customer, helping him to display the certificates and trophies he won for his invention - D&S