An elderly farmer was feared drowned after his tractor was swept away in a flood-swollen river in Aberdeenshire.

Sandy Henderson, 80, from Kintore was retired but he took his tractor out to try to rescue a herd of cattle when they became stranded by rising waters as widespread flooding hit the North East of Scotland.

Emergency services launched a major rescue operation after reports that a man was trapped in a tractor in the waters of the River Don, close to the Don bridge on the outskirts of Kintore.

Police divers and an RAF search helicopter were involved in the search. The emergency teams found the blue tractor completely submerged, 20 metres from the bank of the swollen river, but there was no sign of Mr Henderson.

The search operation was later called off to ‘safeguard’ the personnel involved.

The latest tragedy is a grim reminder of the dangers facing agricultural workers. Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that in the last ten years 455 agricultural workers went out in the morning and never came home.

If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident, even if you are unsure whether you would be able to claim, contact our No Win No Fee lawyers today on 0800 0891331 and we can investigate matters for you and advise you on your first step towards receiving compensation.