DESPITE a recent drop in new and old season lamb prices, there was a strong demand for sheep with lambs at foot at Gisburn anniversary show and sale on Saturday.

The sale leader - a Beltex cross shearling ewe with single lamb at foot - from Anthony Thompson, of Foulridge, was knocked down after a flurry of bids at £410 to pre-sale judges Mark Harryman and Sarah Warriner.

A packed ringside saw Mr Thompson achieve an outstanding trade for his annual consignment of 80 top quality sheep, with buyers from Yorkshire, Cheshire and Lancashire taking them home.

These included Harryman and Warriner who picked the champion pen of five Beltex shearlings ewes with single Beltex lambs at foot, which earlier in the day had picked up the first prize rosette in the best pen of Continental ewes and lambs at £390 a family.

A smart pen of Beltex ewes with single lambs at foot were quickly knocked down for £315 a family to A Lawson and Son, of Saxton. Numerous other pens from the same vendor sold from £238 to £285 a family.

Continental hoggs with lambs at foot attracted fantastic prices.

John Stapleton, of Skipton, sold his first prize pen of continental hoggs with lambs at foot - which went on the win the reserve championship award in the pre-sale show - at £272 to David Jackson, of Northwich.

Mr Stapleton’s consignment averaged £234 a family, selling to purchasers far and wide for between £215 and £272.

Father and son Raymond and Robert Johnson, of Felliscliffe, Harrogate, sold a good run of Mule hoggs with lambs at foot which topped at £205, with the majority of these finding new homes in Derbyshire.

Gisburn Auction Marts next sale of sheep and lambs will be next Saturday, May 16.