Sheep use Thwaites dumper to avoid dip

Thwaites TD18 dump-truck driver Andrew Newton is very popular with local farmers after flash floods hit the Aire Valley near Keighley, West Yorkshire.

He woke at 6am one Sunday, following two days of solid rain, to the sound of local farmers, firemen and police discussing the fate of 80 sheep stranded in the middle of the valley.

"The valley floods quite regularly" explained Andrew, "but this time the water was more than 2m deep - over the TD18's wheels. Farm tractors were bogged down and the sheep were in real trouble. The flock was stuck in an area measuring 1.5km x 1km and looked doomed. So I decided to see if the TD18 could cope with the floods - fortunately, my employer lets me take it home each evening after I'm done working on a local muckshift job."

For two hours Andrew worked tirelessly, pulling sheep two at a time into the TD18's rear skip. As he filled each skipload he drove the terrified sheep to dry land and re-entered the floods for more. In all he helped save 50 sheep.

"I was a bit worried at first," said Andrew, "but once I was out in the middle of the water all I could think about was the sheep. After we'd rescued all that we could I went back and hauled out the farmers' tractors too. My TD18 was absolutely brilliant."

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