Some 5002 prime sheep were forward for auction at Harrison and Hetherington's Kirkby Stephen centre where Aberdeenshire breeder, Stuart Wood, topped the prime hogg trade at £260 with a pen of 50kg Beltex crosses.

Topping the pence per kg section at 539.5p was a pen of three 38kg Beltex cross hoggs from Messrs Dent, Elm House, Bolton, with the hogg trade levelling at 290.45p with a SQQ of 322.66p.

Read more: Prime sales to include Longtown, Stirling and Ayr

The firm also held it's Easter Spring Lamb show and sale where the day's judge, Will Birkbeck, Castle Hill, Soulby awarded the overall championship to the first placed 44kg Texel cross lamb from Messrs Beveridge, Low West House, Bishop Auckland, which later went under the hammer at £210.

Reserve honours came for a 43kg Suffolk cross which also sold for £210 from Messrs Stainthorpe, Low Grange Farm, Cleveland, with the section averaging 315p.

Cast sheep also enjoyed a flyer of a trade, with prices peaking at £250 for a Texel cross ewe from Messrs Lee, Carkin Moor Farm, Richmond.