'After 300 years of history we've been evicted'

David and Karen Yates said they were disappointed with how the process had played out

A farming family who have worked on the same land for more than three generations have been evicted by a council after a long drawn-out legal battle.

David Yates's forebears had been at Earls Farm in the Harwood area of Bolton, Greater Manchester, since the 1700s but the family were given notice of their eviction by the local authority in 2022.

The details have remained confidential but it is understood one option is for the land to be earmarked for housing.

Bolton Council said it was unable to comment due to a confidential agreement between the two parties.

When the Yates family first moved into the farmhouse and began farming in the area three centuries ago, the land was owned by the Earl of Derby.

It later came under the ownership of the council.

Earls Farm in Harwood, Bolton, is owned by the local council

The family had been renting the farm on a rolling five-year tenancy until 2007 when the council took eight acres of the farm's land to accommodate the expansion of a nearby school, Bolton St Catherine's Academy.

But they said they were not given a revised contract afterwards, and were served an eviction notice in 2022.

Mr Yates's wife Karen said the family were disappointed at the way the matter had played out.

Mr and Mrs Yates said the council had not communicated directly with them and all communication had been done through lawyers.

She said: "It's just very sad that after all these generations, 300 years of history.

"It's quite unbelievable really."

In 2023, following mediation, the family said they had agreed a compensation deal with the council.

However, they said they had pulled out of the legal agreement after the authority failed to pay the first compensation instalment.

Bolton Council said in a statement: "We have reached a confidential agreement with Mr and Mrs Yates via mediation, and we are unable to comment further on the terms of that agreement."