HUNDREDS of buyers descended on an historic Furness farm to buy a herd of Friesian cows after their owner became another victim of the crisis in Cumbria's dairy industry.

More than 100 years of farming at Gleaston Park Farm, near Ulverston, came to a close yesterday with the sale of the Bowes family's herd of Holstein Friesian dairy cattle.

The family has leased their 365-acre farm from the Crown Estates since 1899 but in October they will hand the lease back to the Crown.

The farm's tenant, John Bowes, 55, last month told The Westmorland Gazette that the sale of the herd was partially down to health reasons and he planned to go into semi retirement and move nearby.

But Mr Bowes added that he had also been driven from the industry by the price he has received for his milk, which had made continuing in farming unsustainable.

For full story see the May 11 editon of The Westmorland Gazette.