Family from house in middle of busy M62 motorway say noise and straying sheep are their biggest problems
Family from house in middle of busy M62 motorway say noise and straying sheep are their biggest problems
A couple has shared the biggest problems they face living in their farmhouse, which happens to be surrounded by the M62 motorway on both sides.
The unusual setup has become a major feature of the M62, and legend has it that the occupant of the house in the 1960s refused to sell up the land despite offers from developers.
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In the end, the road had to encircle the house and the land which was attached to it.
Must make it hard to nip down the shop...
Since then, the house and land - called Stott Hall Farm - have been taken over by couple Jill Falkingham and Paul Thorp, as well as their son John-William.
They took over the property in 2008 after the previous owner Ken Wild passed away.
It was indeed Mr Wild who refused to budge. In the end, however, it was a combination of his stubbornness and the nature of his land, which engineers judged to be too steep to hold a motorway, which saved it.
Now it transpires that the bigger problems that the new occupants face involve two things. The first, perhaps rather obviously, is the noise they have to put up with from the traffic screaming past all day and night.
However, another big problem is when sheep in their fields jump over the fence onto the motorway. Understandably this can cause a lot of problems for them as it could cause an accident.
Paul said: “I can’t tell you the number of times it’s happened. My phone will go at 2.00am and it’s somebody from the highways agency.
“‘There’s a sheep on the loose on the motorway — can you go get it?’”
Jill and Paul were featured on the Channel 4 documentary, The Pennines: The Backbone of Britain last year.
Paul said: “To get an opportunity to take on a farm this size were once in a lifetime, so it’s my home now. It’s just everything.
“It’s just like any other farm really. You’ve got to know your land, know your job and plan around it.
“The only thing is, we’ve got six lanes of traffic through ours. It throws up its challenges, it’s very unique.”
I'll say! I can't think of many other farms encased in a motorway.
Kit Roberts