IT was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it... and the North Yorkshire bobby who got his man even after he fled into a slurry pit is now to get his reward.

PC Graham Tetley, of Pateley Bridge, is one of a number of officers from the force's Western Area who will receive commendations from their commander, Superintendent Andy Parker, tomorrow.

His adventure began with a pursuit of a stolen car at Darley near Harrogate, when the thieves ran into woodland and PC Tetley chased after one of them.

The trail led to a farmyard where the offender ran into a slurry pit.

Undaunted by the stench and possible health risks PC Tetley went in after him and wrestled him to a standstill. The offender was charged with numerous offences and jailed for six months.

The work of Detective Constable Mark Pearson, of Harrogate, in investigating a murder in the town last summer has been recognised. Counsel praised his excellent interview of a woman who killed her husband.

He and Det Cons Jon Spivey and Paul Somerville, and PC Roger Kidd, of Knaresborough, have commendations for their work on a violent attempted robbery at Spofforth Post Office.

PC Kidd remembered stop-checking a car containing a sledgehammer a week before the crime, and was able to identify the hammer as one used in the attack. The officers identified and arrested the two robbers.

Sergeant Chas Petty and PC Richard Lang, of Harrogate, were immediately suspicious when three men at a Harrogate club said they had been tied up and robbed. Their investigations led to three men being charged with conspiracy to steal.

"Dogged determination" by Knaresborough Sergeant Pete Wilson led to the arrest and imprisonment of the person responsible for dozens of house burglaries in Knaresborough and Northallerton.

Mick Southen, now a detention officer at Harrogate, is commended for five years' contribution to road safety in Knaresborough.

Inquiries into a sex assault and robbery in Ripon pointed to a drugs connection, and a man was traced to Manchester, arrested and jailed due to Ripon PCs Ian Parker, Lee Partridge, Graham Leonard, and Det Con Pearson.

Det Con Spivey is commended for his skill in investigating a series of burglaries in the Harrogate area, and Detective Sergeant Nigel Sykes, of Harrogate, will receive a crown court commendation for his handling of a child abuse case.