A TYLDESLEY farmer has blamed bonfire local youngsters for causing the deaths of three of his prize cows.

And what may have started as a prank, has left Jim Patrick of Garrett Hall Farm with a bill for £1,600.

Mr. Patrick, who complains he has long been plagued by trespassing children, says the cows died of lead poisoning.

According to Mr. Patrick, his cattle had been left to graze in a field close to a housing estate where youths had dumped rubbish, including a lawn mower which melted in the bonfire.

Mr. Patrick is convinced the cows later licked the melted lead parts of the mower.

He said: "The vet was certain it was lead poisoning even before they died. We couldn't save them and they died a terrible death."

And, according to the National Farmers Union, more than 70 percent of farmers who responded to a survey claimed they had problems with illegal fly-tippers on their land, with everything from garden waste to burnt out cars being dumped.

Gill Haigh of the NFU said: "Fly tipping is not only unsightly and costly for farmers to remove, but as you can see from Mr. Patrick's case, it is also potentially dangerous, if not deadly.

"The countryside is a working environment and should be respected as such. The ill-thought out actions of a few children playing in a field can have dreadful consequences."

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