FORMER record breaker Jim Ford found himself back in the limelight, but this time it was for breaking the law.

In 1980 the skip and plant hire company boss hit the headlines when he earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for his feat of carrying a record number of bricks in an outsized builder's hod.

There followed a string of TV and media appearances which made him, for a short time, a household name.

However, magistrates at Bury heard how Ford, now 50, of Garstang Drive, Bury, was arrested after a 12 bore shotgun together with ammunition, for which he had no licence, were found at his farm house.

Mrs Marion Nolan, prosecuting, said that Ford had been the subject of other criminal proceedings which have since been discontinued.

It was as a result of those matters that officers went to his house in the early hours of the morning and, following a search, the gun and cartridges were found.

Mr Roger Taylor, defending, told the court that Ford had borrowed the weapon off a friend because a pond on his farm had been visited by a fox. The animal had killed geese and ducks there so he had obtained the weapon to get rid of it.

"He has no convictions and is very embarrassed about coming before the court."

Ford, who pleaded guilty to possessing the shotgun without a licence, was fined £270 and ordered to pay court costs of £60.