Two trotting horses complete with carriages turned a section of the Aire Valley Trunk Road into the Aire Valley Handicap by staging a race, a Court heard.

Terry Ryan, 39, a landscape gardener of Ash Tree Gardens, Mixenden, pleaded guilty to wilfully obstructing the highway at 8.30am on Sunday, October 24, last year.

A further, more serious, charge of causing danger to road users was dropped after no evidence was offered.

He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £60 costs.

Camille Morland, prosecuting, told Keighley Magistrates Court that motorist Brian Murphy, travelling towards Silsden, found himself unable to pass because of the obstruction.

She said: "The Aire Valley Trunk Road is a dual carriageway with a 70mph limit.

"Across the width of the dual carriageway he saw three motor vehicles moving very slowly across the length of the dual carriageway. This was preventing him and any other traffic from passing.

"In front of these three vehicles, just in front of them, in each carriageway was horse with a trotter and a little carriage behind it.

"Mr Murphy formed the view that the two horses were having a race."

The police arrived and a woman officer found Ryan hosing his horse down.

The other rider was spoken to, but did not hang around long.

He told them that he had intended to attend a show in Hellifield but the weather was bad so he decided to give the horse a jog for two miles. He claimed he was not racing.

In mitigation, Keith Blackwell, defending, said: "This is a very unusual case. I have never known one like it.

"He was giving his horse a run out which was quite lawful. There was nothing illegal about it. He was going at a normal speed of 30mph.

"What appears to have gone wrong was that there was another trotter.

"It has been suggested there was a race, the Aire Valley Handicap, but he assures me there was no race going on.

"However, there did come a time when his horse and trotter was joined by another horse and trotter for a very short period of time. For 200-300 yards they were effectively side by side.

"He does concede that what he should have done was to allow the other trotter to get in front of him."

After the case Ryan said he had had the trotters for about ten years and kept them at Bradford.

He normally raced them at York trotting track and did not know who the other trotter was.

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