A YORK butcher has been busy buying up prize-winning lambs at a North Yorkshire market.

Anthony Swales, who runs Knavesmire Butchers, was at the ringside at Skipton Auction Mart’s opening primestock shows of 2014 when securing pens of prize-winning prime lambs, the supreme champions among them.

He paid top price in show of £130 per head, or 309.5p/kg, for the title-winning pen of five 42kg Beltex-cross pen of lambs shown by husband and wife Brian and Lisa Hall, of Scaleber Farm, Gargrave, near Skipton, who were entering lambs into the prize show at the venue for the first time.

Mr Swales secured all three prize-winning Continental pens, adding the 40kg second prize and reserve champion Texel-cross pen at £116 per head and the third prize 41kg Beltex-cross pen at £96 each. All will be sold through his Albermarle Road shop.

He is one of the single most prolific buyers of prime lamb and beef prize-winners at Skipton, and made multiple acquistions at the high-profile Christmas primestock shows last month.