Ewe won't believe it: 8ft fleece sheared from sheep BBC Sheep shearer Carl Sutton lies on the wool, alongside Lynn Kirk (left) and Angie Beale from the Black Barn Therapy Farm. The three of them are laying down on the fleece. It is easily taller than all three and much wider.
A sheep shearer says a giant fleece removed from a sheep near Spilsby is the largest he has ever seen. The fleece measured about 8ft by 8ft (2.4m by 2.4m), according to Carl Sutton, who works across Lincolnshire. The coat came from a Lincoln Longwool, a large heritage breed.
Sutton said the sheep "definitely felt better" after it was shorn last week. A sheep looks directly at the camera. Its coat is short and it is standing in a field. Angie Beale, from the Black Barn Therapy Farm at Old Bolingbroke keeps some of the breed as therapy sheep.
"They just bring a smile to your face," she said. A mature ram can weigh in the region of 19 to 24 stone (120 to 150kg). According to The Lincoln Longwool Sheep Breeders' Association, the breed is the largest native sheep in the UK. The animals were bred primarily for their wool, but have declined in numbers.
Sutton said: "They've got wool right from the nose to the tails and everywhere else. "So, you get a massive fleece. They are big sheep, but that's the biggest fleece we've had." Angie, Carl and Lynn stand behind the fleece which is stretched out over the grass.
Beale said: "It was absolutely huge. "It was a really hot day, and we just couldn't believe it as it was coming off. "She's such a weight for him to hold anyway, but he did a fantastic job getting it all off in one piece for us." Sutton said: "We had a nice breeze blowing through, and we got it all off like you do in one.
"It definitely felt better after it." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices 'Demand for visas will keep shearers away - and cause harm to sheep' Pride-in-the-wool jetsetter who swapped job seeking for sheep shearing The Lincoln Longwool Sheep Breeders' Association Farmer reported to RSPCA for herding own sheep Vet says St Kilda's dying sheep left him feeling helpless Farm's sheep starring in Hollywood blockbuster The BBC is in multiple languages Read the BBC In your own language Copyright 2026 BBC.
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