A GROUP of North Yorkshire farmers has pitched in with the relief effort to help flood-hit colleagues in southern Britain.

Members of Boroughbridge Young Farmers' Club (YFC) went on a 530-mile round trip to provide a lifeline for Sedgemoor cattle market in Somerset, which supports many south-western farms severely hit by the recent floods.

The group’s members delivered 37 bales of straw, provided by themselves and farmers in the local area, to the market in Bridgewater.

The Forage Aid Initiative – a scheme aimed at helping flooded farms - was completed over the weekend.

Tractors, owned by John Guitus and Richard Burniston, and trailers provided by Alan Body of Rising Sun Trailers and John Guitus, carried the loads down to Somerset.

The effort required a total of 1,200 litres of fuel.

Organiser Myles Yates was one of the four drivers who helped transfer the bales of hay for the cattle. The others were John and Andy Telford and Matthew Bielby.

Contributing towards the tank of fuel were Askham Bryan College in York, where Myles is studying for an apprenticeship, Morrisons Myton Hall Farm in Boroughbridge, RT Keedwell Ltd and local businesses.

Mr Yates said: “We set off about 7pm on Saturday night and got back about 10pm on Sunday.

Taking it in turns to drive, we managed to deliver it all in 27 hours, but seeing their faces made the trip worthwhile.”