A farmer has denied allowing his cattle to put walkers at risk on a footpath that runs through his land at Seaton.

Richard Dormor, aged 47, pleaded not guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety Act when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court.

He is accused of failing to discharge a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably possible, the safety of Huw and Sharon Williams and ensure they were free from risk from his cattle at Common Fields, Seaton, on June 15, 2021.

Judge Anna Richardson adjourned the case for a jury trial at Exeter in April next year and set a timetable for the exchange of evidence between the prosecution and defence.

Mr Malcolm Galloway, defending, said an expert report from an animal behaviourist has been commissioned.

The prosecution follows a lengthy Health and Safety Executive investigation into an incident on a public footpath.