Jeremy Clarkson has revealed a member of staff at his The Farmer’s Dog pub was violently threatened while the establishment was swamped by a gang of 150 traveller men.
The 64-year-old writer and broadcaster was forced to contend with the “increasingly vexing” relationship between farmers and the travelling community.
Clarkson was awoken early on a recent Saturday by a “distressed” phone call from a female staff member at his pub, he explained in his column for The Times.
Despite being a “stoic soul” who knew how to handle herself, she was very worried about a huge gang of “burly men” who had broken into the pub car park.
Clarkson revealed one of his pub staff had been physically threatened
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She explained the 150 strong group had smashed the entrance padlock and were setting up dozens of horses and traps to race.
Worst of all, her attempts to curtail the invasion was met with a threat they would “smash her f***ing face in”.
The ordeal came as Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm deals with attempts from prospective burglars to scope out the property.
The 64-year-old admitted he was unsure how to handle the harrowing affair as he felt the police would be of no use.
Unable to resist a dig at the prime minister, Clarkson predicted the authorities would be more likely to arrest him due to “comrade Starmer’s hate-speech laws.”
Travellers apparently co-opted the pub for horse and trap racing before police arrived
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However, his fears were fortunately not realised as a huge unit of police quickly swooped in to move the travellers on.
“It was an impressive operation,” the former Top Gear presenter mused.
However, he also conceded that he was impressed by the later candour of the travellers.
After the incident, a leader of the group turned up at The Farmer’s Dog with £150 to pay for the broken padlock and clear up of litter.
The traveller also asked if the horse racing posse could return for a later event.
Ultimately, Clarkson denied the request as one of the men had been “abusive to one of the girls at the pub and that’s unforgivable.”
Clarkson called the threats “unforgivable” but admitted some sympathy for travellers
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Despite his conclusion, the moment gave Clarkson a moment of introspection as he recalled allowing the local ‘fox’ hunt to use his land.
The 64-year-old questioned if he was being a snob by giving them access but not the local travellers.
“If you treat travellers with respect, life in the sticks is a lot easier,” the former Grand Tour host observed.
He recalled more positive encounters, from his son and theirs playing rugby together and a promise to “straighten out” local poachers the police apparently refused to pursue.
Clarkson concluded that peaceful coexistence was possible and, in fact, thought the travellers’ ramshackle horse races may provide him more joy than the prim and proper hunt’s pursuit of an “imaginary fox”.
