ONE of the country's leading racehorse trainers is gambling that a £5,000 reward will help end what he claims is a six-year campaign to drive him out of business.

Howard Johnson believes that whoever is behind a series of attacks on his farm near Crook, County Durham, could be jealous of his success on the track - which includes a win in the Whitbread Gold Cup, at Sandown and a third place in the world's toughest national hunt race, the Grand National.

At the weekend, Mr Johnson was horrified to find that someone had been on a wrecking spree on his land, slashing silage bags in four fields at White Lea and Old White Lea Farms and another farm at Sunniside.

In the past, police have investigated numerous fires at his properties, including two barn blazes in the same week in 1997.

Mr Johnson said last night: "Somebody out there is trying to jeopardise my business. My wife is worried to death.

"They have been targeting me for six years. It is obvious that somebody doesn't like me, maybe because I have made something of myself.

"In the past, I have had five of six hay sheds burned down and I just want it to stop. Somebody out there must know who is doing this and that is why I have offered a reward.

"This weekend they must have been on for three hours doing all this damage. They didn't just cut the bags with an ordinary pen knife, they cut deep into them with a machete.

"They are not kids. They are grown ups victimising me, and I want it stopped."

Earlier this year, Mr Johnson's stock of farm animals was culled because the farm next door had foot-and-mouth disease.

He said: "That didn't help. We were just getting the farming side back on its feet and now we are stuck with all this extra work."

The reward will be paid for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits. Telephone Crook CID on (01388) 603566.