TRIBUTES have been paid to a respected Yorkshire Dales farmer who made several TV appearances and bred the country's oldest working dog.

Clifford Alderson, from Reeth, Swaledale, died of cancer aged 87.

Mr Alderson was born in Walden, near Aysgarth, in Wensleydale. After being educated at Ripon Grammar School, he farmed at Cross Lanes Farm, near Leyburn.

In 1947 he married Betty after the pair met at a dance in Arkengarthdale. The couple have six children and nine grandchildren.

From 1955 to 1988, he farmed at Storthwaite Hall Farm, in Arkengarthdale. He became a respected sheep farmer and was known for breeding sheep dogs.

One of his dogs, Floss, was believed to be the oldest working sheep dog in Britain when she died in 1993 aged 22 - or 150 in dog years - having had 60 pups.

Mr Clifford and his dogs were featured on Tyne Tees' Dales Diary with Luke Casey. The farmer also appeared on Dales vet programme All Creatures Great and Small.

Mrs Alderson, 84, described her husband as a kind and good man.

She said: "His mother died when he was two and he had a hard childhood.

"But we had a lovely life together and six great kids, which I'm very proud of."

Mr Clifford's funeral will be held at St Mary's Church, in Arkengarthdale, today at 1.30pm.