A MOTORIST was shocked to find a dozen dead sheep and lambs at the side of a moorland road.

Mr Chris Abbott, of Redcar, said the bodies of two sheep and ten lambs had appeared recently on the unfenced stretch of road between Castleton and Hutton-le-Hole, although two of the lambs had since been eaten by other animals.

He said: "I've been driving over to Ryedale regularly for the past month and first noticed the dead animals about two weeks ago. Four of the dead lambs were within 200 yards of a sign warning drivers to slow down because of straying sheep just outside Castleton. The last one we saw was outside the Lion inn and it is still there. It's quite distressing."

A spokesman for the North York Moors national park, whose land the road runs through, said the matter had been reported to them and he issued a plea for motorists to slow down on the moors.

He added: "It's appalling and it's adding insult to injury for farmers on top of all the problems regarding foot-and-mouth. With all the disinfecting mats around, motorists should be driving more slowly anyway."

The authority admitted the number of dead lambs appearing on roadside verges had increased over the last few weeks, despite warning signs urging caution.

Their advice to motorists was to slow down and expect the unexpected. A maximum speed of 40mph has been suggested as an optimum to allow time to avoid collisions.

Mr Bill Breakell, the national park's tourism and transport officer, said: "The message is aimed at every motorist, whether they drive a truck or a car. But it is aimed especially at local people, most of whom will know the roads well but can never predict where every sheep or lamb is or what the animal is going to do.

"With the added number of walkers, cyclists and horse riders using country roads at the moment, drivers need to be even more vigilant."

Mr Richard Findlay, who farms in Westerdale, has already seen several of his sheep killed this year.

He said: "We spend a lot of time, effort and money rearing our lambs. When a vehicle kills a lamb or sheep all of this is lost, as well as the sale value of the animal.

"The loss of a sheep or female lamb which is an irreplaceable, high quality breeding sheep that should have been producing lambs for five or six years is particularly hard to bear."

Mr Breakell added: "In addition to the real pain and suffering for animals and the financial cost to farmers, there is a human cost to these accidents. There have been serious injuries and even fatalities for drivers and passengers following vehicle accidents with sheep.

"The message is straightforward: allow a little longer for journeys on moorland roads and reduce speed to 40mph or below."

The key roads in the North York moors where sheep accidents are a major problem include:

l The north-south route from Lockwood Beck on the Guisborough to Whitby road via Castleton and Hutton le Hole to the A170 near Kirkbymoorside.

l Roads on the moors above Westerdale, Commondale and Rosedale