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19th March 2023
02:22pm GMT
Jeremy Clarkson has responded to the accusations that his Diddly Squat farm is attracting "hordes of petrolheads" to the area.
Some local residents have criticised the broadcaster for turning their village into a "tourist attraction" and blocking roads.
Clarkson is currently appealing the local council's decision to not let him extend the car park for the farm shop on his farm.
On Friday (17 March), photos showed "scores of visitors" who "tore up grass" as they attempted to visit the now-famous farm, LBC reported.
Clarkson has since taken to Twitter to share his response to such allegations.
Directly responding to the LBC reports, Clarkson screenshotted the article and tweeted: "This only happened in the imagination of the person who wrote the headline."
The headline in question read: "Scores of 4x4s tear up path at Diddly Squat Farm."
Hitting back at suggestions that his farm was attracting "petrolheads," Clarkson added: "Those cars in the picture don’t look very petrolheaddy to me."
Clarkson's foray into the world of farming has been the subject of a hugely popular Amazon Prime series, Clarkson's Farm.
But Diddly Squat farm has caused much controversy, with the former Top Gear host involved in a long running dispute with the local council over his plans to develop the farm.
Last week, a planning meeting took place to discuss West Oxfordshire District Council’s (WODC) decision to not grant Clarkson planning permission for an extension to the car park at the farm shop.
The farm sits between Chadlington and Chipping Norton, and villagers clashed over the impact of Clarkson’s farm shop on the area.
One villager, Hilary Moore, said tourists were visiting the farm to “show off their cars” and block roads.
Chadlington resident Moore said: “I don’t think the people who come are particularly respectful.
“They come in their cars with their souped-up engines – they are motorheads, they are not here to support our little farm shop."
Clarkson is also challenging the council’s move to shut down his restaurant on the same plot of land because he allegedly did not have planning permission when he opened it in July last year.
WODC took action against Clarkson in August saying in its enforcement notice that the “nature, scale and siting” of the restaurant on his farm was “incompatible with its open countryside location” in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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