FARMER Joseph Roebuck burned the carcasses of sheep in contravention of regulations brought out to prevent the spread of mad cow disease.

Blackburn magistrates heard the land near Pickup Bank formed part of the catchment area for the water supply for Bolton.

Roebuck, of Owlett Hall Farm, Waterside, admitted contravention of the Animal By-Products Order 1999 and was fined £500 with £450 costs.

Alan Fairhurst, prosecuting on behalf of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: "Having released the genie of BSE from the bottle the problem of getting it back into the bottle is enormous."

He said Roebuck had burned three sheep carcasses on land at Lower Bank Fold. The sheep were fallen stock and no-one knew why they had died.

The burning had been reported to the council and Trading Standards Officer Geraldine Marchmant visited the field. She found the partially burned carcasses and could clearly make out the remains of sheep with many of the bones still having flesh on them.

Surveyor and agricultural valuer Simon Mair, speaking on behalf of Roebuck, said the farmer had been confused as to what exactly he had been accused of.

He said Roebuck had spoken to someone from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Foods who had told him it was permissible to incinerate the carcasses.

"He simply did not appreciate the difference between burning and incineration," said Mr Mair.

The council applied for £930 costs but Mr Mair said he thought that amount was out of all proportion to what he would suggest was a reasonable amount.

Passing sentence the chairman said that because of public awareness of BSE a person in Roebuck's position should have been aware of the implications.