The largest farm machinery sale in the south west is back.

The Walford Cross Machinery Sale skipped a year in 2020 due to the pandemic and it was moved to an online format in 2021.

This year it is being held on Thursday, April 7 at the sale field just off the A38 between Taunton and Bridgwater.

This 67th annual sale will feature grassland machinery, tractors and more.

Online live bidding on Marteye will be provided for the tractor and machinery sections.

The second hand machinery market has seen a large increase in demand, due largely to waiting times on new items, as a serious shortage of supply in materials and labour continued during the pandemic.

This has caused the trade to reach unprecedented levels with nothing on the horizon to suggest it will drop in the short term.

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Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH) are the auctioneers for the sale.

At recent dispersal sales conducted by GTH headline prices include a 2003 Case JX70U sold for £17,000 and a 2009 Case Maxxum 125 sold for £27,000, both from David Haywood at Ilminster.

A 2003 JD 6610 sold for £31,000 and Bailey bale trailer to £6,600 at the Cowling family’s sale at Wheddon Cross while a 2005 MF 5445 sold for £19,500 and a 2013 Vicon Farex Tedder at £4,200 at Roger Tripp’s sale at Highbridge.

Auctioneer, Andrew Clements, said: “The success of our online-only sale last year was outstanding!

"Therefore we are embracing the technology, as we do with our dispersal sales, to create the hybrid sale so the buyer has the option of attending or bidding at home.

"We have no doubt the regulars will be back in the field but the increase in demand means that we are regularly trading with buyers from across the entire country, Scotland and Ireland and the online bidding gives them the best opportunity to do so.”

The sale would usually have more than 3,500 lots, but with supply being short across the country, the auctioneers are encouraging farmers to search out their unwanted or under utilised machines as they say owners are likely to be pleased with their value.