A Dales farmer who held the record as Britain's longest serving part-time firefighter was in court today after straying stock caused an accident on a busy main road.

Robert Hugh Raw, 61, pleaded guilty to allowing a trio of three-month-old lambs to get on to the A661Harrogate-Wetherby road near Plompton Rocks on July 30.

The court heard how, as police who had put out 'slow' signs tried to round-up the three animals, two of them crossed the road and a white van ran into the back of a Mercedes which had slowed down because of the hazard.

In mitigation Ralph Court said Raw, who ran both sheep and a small dairy herd at Town End Hall, Reeth, Swaledale, had rented 40 acres at Plompton under an annual grazing licence for six or seven years.

In July there had been 40 ewes and 73 lambs on the land.

An electrified fence had been erected to keep them in but three must have squeezed under the wire in search of fresh grass at the side of the road.

Mr Court said Mr Raw, who had been in agriculture all his life - first with his father and now with his wife and son - farmed in an area which combined a beautiful landscape with rough terrain, at the least profitable end of the business.

He had had to cope with BSE and foot and mouth and this was the first time he had even appeared in a court.

Because of the accident he had terminated his lease at Plompton and would move the flock to Gunnerside, nearer his home.

Mr Court said Mr Raw had been a volunteer firefighter for 38 years until he retired at 55.

He had been officer in charge at Reeth fire station for five years and had been the longest serving retained fireman in the country.

Raw was conditionally discharged for six months with £45 costs and told by presiding magistrate Charles Bailey he had done what he could to minimise the consequences of the straying, travelling down from Reeth when he learned the animals were loose.