A WARNING has been issued to farmers across Herefordshire as Herefordshire Council confirms it is working to raise a claim to recover costs incurred after mud on one county road caused chaos.

Mud has been reported on roads across Herefordshire in recent weeks, as farmers battle to get the harvest in amid appalling weather conditions.

Problems with mud on the roads have been reported by Hereford Times readers on busy routes including the A49, A465, and the B4399 just outside Hereford.

And one county A-road was closed after the amount of mud left on the carriageway was branded "unsafe" by highways workers.

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On Sunday (October 6), the A4112 between Kinnersley and the Weobley junction was closed due to unsafe driving conditions, with two motorcyclists coming off their bikes.

Neil Gillam, who was travelling along the rural road with a group of bikers, described the conditions as "deadly", and said he and another rider had crashed after their bikes slipped on the mud.

Mr Gillam's wheel is shown caked in mud after the crash on the A4112 (Image: Neil Gillam)

"The road was deadly. We came around the corner and saw some mud on the road but all of a sudden the road disappeared into mud," Mr Gillam said.

"We all slowed down to five to 10 miles per hour but the road was horrendous.

"The front end went from beneath me, the rear went on my brother-in-law and his bike spun around.

"There were no warnings about mud and there was no option to turn around. We got to the police a little further down and flagged them down.

"We were injured but thankfully not badly and both have damaged bikes."

Mr Gillam was covered in mud after the crash  (Image: Neil Gillam)

Herefordshire Council has now warned county farmers to take the "necessary precautions" to prevent mud on the road after the crash.

"The landowner is actively working to clean the affected area. Depending on the effectiveness of these efforts, a road sweeper will be deployed to ensure the road is safe for public use," a council spokesperson said.

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“We are also working to raise a claim to recover costs incurred because of this incident.

Mr Gillam's bike was damaged in the crash  (Image: Neil Gillam)

"Mud on the road can pose significant dangers to motorists. The safety of road users is our top priority and we support the actions being taken by the police in this case.

"We hope this will serve as a reminder to others about the legal responsibilities involved in ensuring road safety during this busy agricultural period."

The spokesperson said the council has received several complaints about similar issues across the county in the past two weeks and has urged landowners to take "extra care in clearing any mud or debris from public highways to avoid further incidents."

Martin Williams, a local farmer and chair of the Herefordshire National Farmers Union said he did not wish to comment on this particular incident.

But, he said, as farming is a seasonal industry, unfortunately, "our seasons are more difficult it seems".

"Farming has a responsibility to manage its effect on the highways, and I hope this is an isolated incident, though I know many of the county's farms are trying to harvest crops of many types currently," Mr Williams said.

"I would encourage any farmer to work to avoid these situations and encourage motorists to be both alert and patient during the autumn."