Dairy engineers for Cumbria, South West Scotland and North Lancashire
Colin Dawson Ltd keeps milking parlours running. We install new parlours, service and repair existing ones, and test milking machines — conventional and rotary, whatever the layout, whatever the age. Dairy breakdown cover is genuinely 24-hour: cows don't wait for office hours, and neither do we. Based at High Mill, Langwathby, in the middle of the Eden Valley's dairy country, we cover the whole of Cumbria, South West Scotland and North Lancashire. If your parlour needs a service, a repair, or won't start for morning milking, ring 01768 889084.
Proud suppliers & installers of Dairymaster milking equipment — and proud suppliers of FutureCow and Afimilk dairy technology.
Supplied, fitted and looked after by our own engineers, backed by the spares counter at Langwathby.
What we do
Dairy engineering services
Conventional & rotary parlours
Herringbone, abreast, parallel and rotary — we work on all of them, new or thirty years old, and keep them milking gently and efficiently.
Milking parlour servicing
Routine servicing and milking machine testing that keeps the plant performing as it should, protects udder health and catches worn parts before they stop you.
Milking parlour installation
New parlour installs planned around your herd, your building and your milking routine — done properly, once, then looked after for years.
24hr dairy breakdown repairs
Vacuum gone, pulsation faults, plant that won't start — the line is answered day and night, and dairy breakdowns come before everything else.
Dairy equipment repairs and spares across the board, backed by the dairy spares counter at Langwathby.
Dairy breakdown cover, 24 hours a day
How a breakdown call works
1
Ring the line
01768 889084, any hour, any day. Tell us what the plant is doing — or not doing. We'll talk it through on the phone first; sometimes that's enough to get you milking.
2
We get to you
Breakdowns come before everything else. When you call, we'll get to you as soon as we possibly can. We won't promise a time we can't keep — but we will keep you informed, and a working parlour is always the priority.
3
Fixed and tested
Repairs done with proper parts, then the plant is run and checked before we leave the pit. If a part is on borrowed time, we'll say so rather than wait for the next 4am call.
Local knowledge
Dairy engineering built for Cumbrian farms
The Eden Valley and the Solway Plain are proper dairy country, and parlours here work hard through long winters. Distances matter too: a hill farm above Kirkby Stephen or a unit out beyond Wigton can't wait days for an engineer to travel up from the far side of the country. Working from Langwathby puts us in the middle of it — close enough to get to a stopped parlour quickly, and local enough to know the farms, the roads and the weather that comes with them.
Recent work
Fresh from the pit: the latest parlour job
New kit going into a rotary parlour — cluster-cleaning units, control boxes and pipework, stall by stall. This is the bread and butter of what we do: proper equipment, fitted properly, and then looked after for years.
If your parlour is due the same treatment, ring 01768 889084 and talk it through with an engineer.
Where our dairy engineers work
From the Eden Valley to Dumfries & Galloway
Serving dairy farms across Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, and into North Lancashire — including Penrith, Carlisle, Wigton, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen, Cockermouth, Annan, Lockerbie, Gretna and Dumfries. Wherever the parlour is, ring 01768 889084.
Cumbria
Penrith, Carlisle, Wigton, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen, Cockermouth, Shap, and Langwathby and the Eden Valley villages.
South West Scotland
Annan, Lockerbie, Gretna and Dumfries — milking parlour servicing and installation across Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders.
North Lancashire
Dairy farms across North Lancashire.
Questions
Dairy engineering FAQs
How much does it cost?
Every job is different. The cost depends on the size of the parlour, the age and condition of the equipment, and what actually needs doing once we've looked at it — a pulsator change and a full re-plumb aren't the same job. Call us on 01768 889084 or email info@colindawsonltd.com with what you need and we'll give you a clear price before any work starts.
What happens if my parlour breaks down at night?
Ring the same number — 01768 889084. The dairy breakdown line is answered 24 hours a day, every day. We'll talk the fault through on the phone and get an engineer out as soon as we possibly can, keeping you informed until we're there.
Which areas do your dairy engineers cover?
Cumbria, South West Scotland and North Lancashire — from the Eden Valley out to Carlisle, Wigton, Appleby and Kirkby Stephen, and over the border to Annan, Lockerbie, Gretna and Dumfries for milking parlour servicing and installation across Dumfries and Galloway.
How often should a milking machine be tested?
As a working rule, have the plant tested at least once a year alongside routine servicing — it keeps the machine milking efficiently and protects udder health. We'll advise a sensible schedule for your particular setup.
Do you install new parlours as well as service existing ones?
Yes. We handle the full job — new conventional or rotary milking parlour installation, then the servicing, testing and breakdown cover that keeps it running for years afterwards.
Can you get dairy spares quickly?
Yes — our agricultural supplies shop at Langwathby keeps a dairy spares counter stocked with liners, tubing and chemicals. Ring ahead and we'll have what you need ready to collect.
Talk to the firm, not a call centre
One number for the office, the shop and the engineers
