Farmer, 75, shot dead in own field as shotgun recovered by police

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a farmer was shot dead in his own field in rural Lancashire, according to neighbours.

The victim, 75, was found with suspected gunshot injury in a field at 5pm on Thursday in Pinfold Lane, Scarisbrick.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 29-year-old man from Scarisbrick has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.

A shotgun was recovered from the scene.

One neighbour told the ECHO he saw the police “fly down the road”. He said: “Police were all stood at the end of the driveways and focused their attention there at first before moving onto the far. “

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Fallows, of Lancashire Police’s force major investigation team, said: “A man has very sadly lost his life as a result of this, and we have a dedicated team of officers working to establish what led to his death.

“We know that this news may sound concerning to the Scarisbrick community, but we want to reassure everyone that it is being treated as an isolated incident. Both parties are known to each other, and we aren’t looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.

“This is where I now appeal to you, the public, to ask that if you have any information, saw or heard anything suspicious or have dashcam footage from the Pinfold Lane area of Scarisbrick yesterday between 12pm and 5.30pm, to please get in contact.”