Vigilance needed after major blaze

NFU Cymru has called on farmers in Montgomeryshire to be vigilant following a large fire that destroyed part of a farm last week.

It took more than 50 firefighters from across Powys and Shropshire three hours to tackle the huge barn blaze involving up to 500 tonnes of hay and machinery at Upper Stockton Farm in Stockton, near Marton, Welshpool. The fire broke out shortly after 9pm on Friday.

NFU Cymru Montgomeryshire Group Secretary Steve Kenyon said, "What happened on Friday night is a stark reminder of the dangers farming can bring. It’s very difficult on the farm to take time out of our busy day to check all our buildings for signs of fire. One of our members said not long ago that each night, before coming in for supper, he would just have a walk around each building to check that all was in order. This is good advice to follow. We do need vigilance.’