Johann Tasker
Thursday 02 December 2010 13:55
Dozens of farm buildings have collapsed under the weight of snow, prompting safety warnings for both farmers and livestock.
Worst affected is north-east Scotland, where more than 60cm of snow has fallen, closely followed by north-east England.
Dairy producer Stephen Ball, who farms at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, said his cows had a lucky escape after a roof collapsed following 43cm of snow.
"Heard an almighty crash; feed passage roof has collapsed with weight of snow, luckily no cows injured," he wrote on Twitter.
Rural insurer NFU Mutual said collapsing roofs were a particular concern, putting farm animals and farmers at risk.
NFU Mutual manager Matthew Scott said the insurer had received 15 claims for collapsed roofs from the Aberdeen area and 12 from the Borders. "So far we have had no reports of animals being injured.
"Often there are warning signs that roofs are going to give way - creaking noises from girders and beams bowing under the strain. When this happens farmers can get livestock out before the roof collapses."
Mr Scott advised farmers to take extreme care when trying to minimise the risk of a building collapsing by clearing snow from roofs.
"Working on farm roofs is dangerous at the best of times, but in deep snow the risks are even greater," he said.
Elsewhere, temperatures as low as -17c in Wales and snowfall across much of the UK has seen claims for burst pipes and uncollected milk from farms.
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