Poultry farmer charged with Helperby hay barn arson

Shaun Traves denied setting fire to a huge barn in Back Lane, Helperby, near Thirsk, which stored freshly harvested silage and a range of agricultural vehicles, when he appeared before Northallerton Magistrates Court.

The court heard the 33-year-old, of Alne Road, Easingwold, had been held in custody since being arrested at his home at 3am, on Saturday (September 5).

Magistrates, who were told Traves worked at Brafferon Manor Farm, near Helperby, granted him bail on condition that he did not enter the village.

Residents in Helperby have told how the fire, which could be seen for up to six miles, took hold of the steel framed barn, 2,000 hay bales, a tractor, agricultural trailers and a van as six crews of firefighters were called to Lodge Farm in Helperby three hours earlier.

Air support was called for as desperate attempts were made to move machinery away from the barn. Fire crews told how they had been forced to drop their hoses and retreat as the intensity of the heat led to a large red diesel tank rupturing.

Residents, who feared for their properties as fuel gushed along Back Lane, helped put sandbags across storm drains which lead to the River Swale, in an attempt to limit pollution.

Concerns mounted for wildlife in the protected stretch of river, which is popular with anglers due to an abundance of fish, and is home to otters and lampreys, which are rare eel-like fish.

The Environment Agency said its emergency teams had arrived at the scene at dawn on Saturday and had placed booms across the River Swale to try to absorb the fuel.

A spokesman for the agency said the impact to the river was expected to be minimal, with no dead fish having been found yet, but that the river would be monitored over the coming days.

Farmers Tom and Richard Spilman, who lost a barn in a fire on the same site five years ago, said the most upsetting aspect of the fire was the loss of the work which went into producing high quality silage.