A farmer has been ordered to pay out £3,500 in costs after a neighbour secretly filmed him riding a tractor with his grandchild in the cab.
Video footage taken by a neighbour captured the moment Howard Walters, 78, allowed one of his grandchildren to illegally ride in his tractor.
He was spotted with the pre-teen child in the tractor cab in January 2021 as he fed cattle on his farm in South Wales.
Mr Walters had already been issued with a prohibition notice by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after admitting to inspectors he allowed his grandchildren to ride in his tractor.
However, just two months later, he was filmed by his neighbour breaching the terms of that notice.
A HSE inspector who investigated Mr Walters said the law was 'very clear', as children under 13 are specifically prohibited from driving or riding on or in any agricultural machine, including the tractor cab.
At the time of committing the offence, Mr Walters, who farms near Swansea, was already the subject of a suspended prison sentence for unrelated environmental offences.
In a case that was heard on 27 August at Swansea Crown Court, Mr Walters pleaded guilty and was given a community order and ordered to pay £3,500 in costs.
As part of his 12-month community order, he must also attend 25 days of rehabilitation.
Agriculture remains one of the most dangerous industries in Britain, with on average around 29 people killed each year.
Being killed by vehicles remains the most significant cause of work related fatality over the last five years.
Children are among those deaths, with it often being the case that they are family members, with many killed by farm vehicles.
HSE inspector Simon Breen said: “For any child to ride on agricultural machinery like a tractor is unsafe and illegal.
“The fact this farmer chose to ignore a prohibition notice for putting his grandchildren at risk is all the more staggering.
“We will take action against those who break the law. The solution is very simple – young children should never ride in agricultural vehicles.”
