A vet who has helped generations of farmers and pet owners will retire this week.

Colin Harrison has been keeping animals in the area healthy since returning to his home town of Otley in 1970, shortly after qualifying in Glasgow. He began working for Lofthouse, Hill & Walker that year and became a partner in the practice after its move to Cross Green Veterinary Centre.

Over the last 41 years he has become a key figure in the agricultural community, and has also enjoyed acting as the veterinary advisor for television shows, including Emmerdale. A regular figure at Otley Show, where he has monitored the animals on display for many years, he is also well-known as a passionate wildlife enthusiast and ornithologist.

His wife, Alison Walker, said: “Colin has always been well-liked for his straight talking, no nonsense approach and appears to have, as far as those who have worked for him have found, a ‘sixth sense’ as to the severity of problems, which can be best compared to x-ray vision.

"His gut instinct is virtually always found to be correct.”