HEALTH and safety inspectors in the region are investigating the third farm death in a week - after a worker was crushed by falling bales.

Father-of-two Paul Murtagh, 35, was found trapped under bales at Wycliffe Grange Farm, near Barnard Castle, County Durham on Wednesday evening.

Mr Murtagh was discovered by his boss and close friend Harry Bainbridge, after several bales from the back of the trailer he had earlier been towing fell and crushed him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Murtagh, lived at Bank Top Cottages, in Mickleton, with his wife Carolyn and son Joe, nine, and daughter Katie, six.

Yesterday, staff at the children's school in Middleton-in-Teesdale, where Mrs Murtagh had often worked as a volunteer nursery teacher, held a special assembly to break the news to pupils.

Headteacher Mike Harris said: "The school is deeply saddened by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family."

Residents in the villages of Mickleton and Eggleston, where the family lived until eight months ago, were shocked by the news of Mr Murtagh's death.

Mr Murtagh's family and Mr Bainbridge, who runs a farm in Eggleston, were too upset to talk about the tragedy last night.

Mrs Murtagh was being comforted at her parents' home in Darlington.

Many who knew Mr Murtagh described him as a quiet family man, who spent much of his spare time restoring Volkswagen cars.

The accident comes just days after a farmer was killed after his jumper caught in a combine harvester in Chop Gate, near Stokesley, on the North York Moors.

And last week, a man was killed after becoming entangled in farm machinery at his farm near Leeds.

The spate of fatal accidents has led to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the region to warn farmers of the dangers.

Mel Raine, principal agricultural inspector for the HSE in the North-East and Yorkshire, said the accident underlined the need for extra vigilance.

"The number of accidents on farms does tend to increase with the shorter days, fading light and weather changes, and sometimes farmers and farm workers take greater risks in order to get their harvest in," he added