One farmer and his moo-bility scooter

And although he's not as young as he once was and has undergone two hip replacements, he still manages to look after his herd of cattle as he enters his ninth decade.

His secret? It's a mobility scooter.

"I'm 80 and that is how I get about," said Mr Maund, who has lived on Betton Alkmere Farm, in Betton Strange, since 1934.

"It has two speeds and nobody can keep up with the second speed!"

Mr Maund, who was christened Robert, took over the running of the farm in the 1950s and at one stage was responsible for farming 310 acres of land and keeping about 120 cows.

He has now scaled back and let some of his land to other farmers, but he still looks after a small herd of about 40 calves.

And to go about his daily farm routine he uses a TGA Breeze scooter, which even helps him transport small bales and buckets of feed around the farm.

He said looking after the 40 young cows still means he has to get up early in the morning, although there are not as many demands on him as there were in the past.

Mr Maund said that after his second hip operation he was advised by doctors that he should retire altogether from farming and go and live somewhere else.

But he decided to stay put on at the farm, where he lives with his sister Barbara.

He did take a short break from farming for about seven months after his operation, but admits he was always keen to carry on the family tradition and get back out on to his land.

He said: "I stopped for a while between October to April but I was just hanging around and not really doing anything.

"I have been a dairy farmer all my life and I did keep a few sheep.

"In 1997, I had my hip done for the second time and then sold my cows and let the majority of my land.

"But I do rear the young animals for 15 to 17 months."

He added: "My routine is I get up at 7am, have my breakfast at 7.30am and go out at 8.15am.

"The majority I feed in the morning, so that does free me up for the afternoon and the rest of the day.

"I'm fairly free really."

He said having the scooter, which he has been motoring around in for the past four years, was a real help in getting around the farm.

"But if I have to get further afield I have a Land Rover as I have still got a licence and I'm able to drive."

He said: "I've always been one of these people who like to stay active – it keeps your body and mind healthy – and so my short break didn't last for long, put it that way."

Farming, as he says, has been his life.

"As a family we came in 1934, then I took over in the 1950s.

"I took on the running of the farm from my father, who was also called Robert.

"When people wanted one of us, the would shout but both of us would come." Mr Maund said he had no plans to give up on farming just yet.

Although he admits things are getting a bit harder as he gets older, he has no plans to put his feet up.

"I'm happy to go on as long as I can," he said.

By David Seadon