A SHEPHERDESS was crushed to death by her tractor and trailer as she went to close a gate on the remote Rushmore Estate, an inquest heard.

Alice Spinney was trapped for more than an hour on December 29 last year after the trailer carrying three tonnes of hay bales rolled down an incline because the stiff handbrake on the tractor was not properly applied.

Despite valiant efforts to save her, the 38-year-old died the next day in Salisbury District Hospital after suffering a massive haemorrhage.

A jury heard that Mrs Spinney, from Charlton, near Shaftesbury, had worked on the estate for 15 years.

On the day of the tragedy she had driven the tractor and 40ft trailer through a double gate at Rookery Farm near Tollard Royal and had gone to close the gates when the vehicle rolled down the slope, pinning her against the metal rails.

Vehicle inspector PC Jonathan Wren from Dorset police told the inquest he found no defects on the tractor but the handbrake was stiff.

"If you pulled it for seven clicks you could think that was the extent of the handbrake's travel, but two further clicks were required to ensure it was fully applied," he said.

"Stiffness in operation is not a defect."

Health and Safety Executive inspector Frank Flannery concluded Mrs Spinney's death was a tragic accident and said no action was being taken against the estate.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

First published: September 28