A NEW record is believed to have been set for Wensleydale land prices at a sale on Tuesday.

A total of 81 acres of meadow and pasture land at Sedbusk, near Hawes was sold in five lots by public auction - and averaged a staggering of £6,670 an acre.

Hawes Auction Mart and George F White, which handled the sale jointly, believe it set a new record for farmland in the Dale.

Bidding was so brisk that at least two parties known to have been interested did not even have the opportunity to enter the frantic bidding.

Nigel Foster, of George F White, said: "There is no way that this land would have sold for as much, or as well, if it had been offered for sale by private treaty. Public action was undoubtedly the best way to capitalise on the very strong local competition."

Raymond Lund of Hawes mart said: "Because land of this quality seldom comes on to the open market in this area, we were expecting a good result but no one could have predicted the prices achieved in the sale ring."

Although sold in five separate lots, all the land was bought by a neighbouring farmer.

Prices: 15.22 acres meadow, pasture & farm buildings £106,000 (av £6,964/ac); 21.87 acres pasture & woodland £192,000 (av £8,779/ac); 10.38 acres meadow £82,000 (av £7,900/ac); 9.93 acres pasture £72,000 (av £7,250/ac); 23.87 acres meadow & pasture £90,000 (av £3,770/ac).