A SHEEPDOG sired by an Oakworth-bred dog was amongst the big sellers at a Skipton Auction Mart event.

First-time vendor Andrew Heathcoate achieved the second-highest price of the day – £6,300 – when he sold his black and white bitch Beaut at the mart's live summer sale of working sheepdogs.

Beaut's sire is Moor Lodge Ben, bred at Oakworth by Carol Mellin.

Ben is an accomplished trials winner. He recently competed in the English national championships and earned a place for himself and his handler in next year’s world trials, being held in Ireland.

Sheep farmer Mr Heathcoate, who runs a 200-strong North of England mule and Texel flock, has been training sheepdogs for eight years and has just started trialling himself.

Beaut was sold to Isle of Arran hill farmer Iain Logan, to be used primarily as a work dog but possibly also to take part in local trials.