A pig breeder has spoken of his relief after his herd of rare pigs survived a fire which struck their sty.

Raymond Wilson, of Redcliffe Street, Keighley, who rears the pigs with his wife Brenda, said it would have been a catastrophe if the fire had swept through the huts on his allotment off North Dean Road.

Prize porker Arthur and 14 sows were recovering today after receiving veterinary treatment. All but one sow in the herd of prize-winning Middle Whites - there are only 223 sows in Great Britain - escaped serious injury.

Today a spokesman for the Middle White Pig Breeders' Association said the breed was in a critical situation and the fire could have wiped out an important herd.

Mr Wilson praised firefighters for their swift action in tackling the blaze on Sunday night. They suspect the blaze was started by a spark caused by burning rubbish, believed to have been left by another allotment holder.

Middle Whites originated in Long Lee, Keighley, in 1856 after textile weaver Joseph Tulley worked for seven years to get a successful cross between a large white and a small white.

"These pigs are very rare. They are registered with the British Pig Association Rare Breeds Society," he added.

"They all survived but they are in shock at the moment. Arthur is OK because he was further away from the fire. The vet has given them a shot of penicillin and I'm rubbing Vaseline on their backs to ease the blistering. There is just one we are concerned about.

"Six big sows in part of the building could easily have perished but for the fast action of the fire brigade.

"We have been breeding Middle Whites for 20 years. We could have lost everything so I'll be sending the fire service a crate of beer as a thank you."

Mr Wilson, 49, who works for Timothy Taylor brewery at Ingrow, has registered his herd with the Pig Association as the Ingrow Herd. Several of his sows have won prizes and this summer he plans to show them at the Great Yorkshire Show.

"We hand-rear them - they are very affectionate and you can stroke them. They're just like a dog and as intelligent," he added.

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