A farmer has been ordered to pay more than £2,000 for damage to an ancient monument which he originally claimed had been caused by his sheep, writes Eleanor Barlow, PA.

Richard Pugh, 35, had blamed his livestock for the damage to Offa's Dyke on his farm in Powys, North Wales, when he pleaded guilty to the charge of destroying or damaging an ancient or protected monument in December.

But Mold Crown Court heard on Thursday that he had changed the basis of his plea and now admits quad bikes and farm machinery had caused the erosion to the historic path, which is believed to date from the Dark Ages.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said the original explanation was "unbelievably ridiculous" but accepted the damage was reckless rather than deliberate.

He told the court it showed a "degree of ignorance" on the part of the farmer.

Judge Rowlands said Offa's Dyke marked the ancient boundary between the Anglo Saxons and the Celts.

He said: "It was either to keep the Welsh out of England or the opposite, and I don't know why the Welsh would want to go to England."

Richard Edwards, prosecuting, said the ancient path ran through farmland owned by Pugh and his family in Knighton and in January last year a member of the public had reported damage to the Welsh Government's historic environment service Cadw.

He said: "Two wardens from Cadw attended at the site and when it was visited on two occasions, in February and May, it was clear a section had sustained damage."

He said an opening had been created in the fence to allow access to another field and the section had become a "pinch point" for farm machinery and livestock to travel over, eroding the surface.

Matthew Curtis, defending, said the dyke had been reinstated at an overall cost of £2,150 to Pugh, a man of previous good character.

He said: "This experience of being prosecuted and admitting guilt to this offence has come as a great learning experience and one which he has not always welcomed."

Judge Rowlands said: "This is a monument of national, indeed it doesn't overstate it to say international, importance.

"It's quite plain to me you would have known of that."

He said damage was caused to a section about five metres long and seven metres wide.

He added: "There has been co-operation with the authorities after the offence came to light, none the less your actions could have meant very significant archaeological information was affected or could have been lost."

The judge ordered Pugh to pay a fine of £1,500 as well as £500 towards prosecution costs and a £150 surcharge.