A man who deliberately rammed a stolen tractor and hay baler into a Middlesbrough house during a long-running feud has been jailed for more than seven years.

Nathan Blagg, 28, drove the Massey Ferguson tractor around nine miles before crashing it into the terraced property in Priory Road in May, causing damage so extensive the house “essentially had to be rebuilt”.

Blagg admitted aggravated vehicle taking and criminal damage while reckless as to whether life was endangered.

At Teesside Crown Court, he was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison, with a further two years on extended licence.

Feud linked to alleged desecration of family graves

The court heard the property was linked to Blagg’s rival, Luke Lancaster, and was targeted amid an ongoing dispute between the pair.

Defending barrister Rod Hunt said Blagg had been deeply affected after seeing social media footage allegedly showing Lancaster urinating on the graves of Blagg’s father and brother and knocking over a gravestone.

Recorder Paul Reid accepted there had been significant provocation but described the tractor attack as “about as serious as it gets”.

Blagg had stolen the tractor from farmer Ian Tate near Kirklevington, North Yorkshire, before driving it approximately nine miles to Middlesbrough.

The house ‘essentially had to be rebuilt’

The tractor was deliberately driven into the three-bedroom house, causing extensive structural damage.

Recorder Reid said the vehicle narrowly missed the party wall separating the house from a neighbouring property, creating a serious risk to life.

The family connected to the targeted house had already moved out following previous attacks.

One woman who had lived at the address said in a victim impact statement that she no longer tells people where she lives because she fears further violence.

She also expressed concerns that what had happened could affect her ability to obtain a mortgage or home insurance.

Another family member told the court they were a hard-working family who did not deserve to be subjected to the ordeal.

Tractor repairs cost around £56,000

The damage extended beyond the house.

Repairs to the stolen Massey Ferguson tractor cost approximately £56,000, while the attached hay baler, valued at £30,000, was destroyed.

Farmer Ian Tate told the court the theft had cost him thousands of pounds and said farming was already difficult enough without the additional financial hardship caused by Blagg’s actions.

Earlier confrontation with rival

The court also dealt with an affray admitted by Blagg following an earlier confrontation involving Lancaster in Middlesbrough town centre.

Prosecutor Jamie Wilson said Lancaster drove a car into Blagg outside probation offices, throwing him over the bonnet.

Lancaster has previously been jailed over that incident.

Blagg told police that any violence he used during the confrontation had been in self-defence.

Jaguar stolen five days after tractor attack

Five days after the attack on the house, Blagg was involved in another serious incident.

He admitted aggravated vehicle taking after stealing a Jaguar and crashing it into a lamppost.

The collision caused the car to spin around and sent the streetlight approximately 20 metres down the road.

Both occupants of the Jaguar suffered serious injuries.

Despite the damage, the court heard Blagg attempted to drive the wrecked vehicle away while paramedics were at the scene.

He was already disqualified from driving at the time of both vehicle offences.

In sentencing, Recorder Reid said the tractor attack was aggravated by the planning involved, the type of vehicle used and the enormous amount of damage caused.

Blagg was sentenced to seven years and two months’ imprisonment, with an additional two years on extended licence.

He was also disqualified from driving for seven years.