A 20-year-old Kirkby Lonsdale man took the blame for the theft of a quad vehicle which was later recovered from a river, magistrates were told.

But two fellow suspects who denied or made no comment when interviewed by police were not charged, said prosecutor Caroline Midgley.

Jonathan Parrott was the only one to admit to the theft of the quad bike, valued at £1,500, from a barn at Ribblehead.

Ms Midgley told Skipton Magistrates' Court that at 6.30pm on August 4 a witness saw two men and a woman walking across a field from a barn towards a distinctive painted van at the side of the road.

Later, it was reported that a quad had been taken from the barn. The court was told that some days afterwards, Parrott and another man were seen riding the quad, which had been painted black, around a field.

When arrested, Parrott of Springfield, Kirkby Lonsdale, admitted he had stolen the quad and claimed that he and the other man had painted it and then thrown it in the river when they discovered the police were onto them.

The Bench told Parrott that the offence was too serious for them to deal with and remitted him to Bradford Crown Court for sentence.