Jeremy Clarkson is beefing up security at his farm shop after it was swamped with fans – but locals want it shut down.
The ex-Top Gear host wants to install new roller shutters to make his Diddly Squat Farm Shop more secure.
Clarkson, 61, issued an apology after hundreds of followers flocked to the store near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds at the weekend forcing police to step in.
Word soon got out after he made a surprise appearance at the tills.
It led to major congestion in the area including traffic queues and police were called in to manage the large crowds.
(Image: PA)
The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host has applied to West Oxfordshire District Council to improve the building’s security.
The application says: “The purpose of the application is to seek to increase the flexibility and security of the building by replacing existing material roller shutter doors and gates on the southern elevation with new metal roller shutter doors, closing gaps in the existing timber cladding and to provide a new rear entrance to the building.
“We are though aware of the level of public interest in the site and thus have made an application in order that the council and neighbours are fully appraised of the intended works ahead of their execution.
(Image: Getty Images)
“The proposals would not change the character or appearance of the building detrimentally.
“The roof is not altered and the external walls will not appear different,” it continued.
“The roller shutter doors will not alter the agricultural or utilitarian aesthetic of the building and will be a high quality material, preferable in fact to the existing mix of gates and fabric shutters.”
(Image: ITV)
But locals have moaned the shop has turned the area into a ‘danger zone’.
One moaned in a letter to planners: “Our roads are clogged with traffic and the whole area is becoming a danger zone with fast cars showing off their speed on narrow lanes, traffic queuing for a mile or so, blocking roads and compromising access for emergency vehicles.
“The farm shop should be closed down immediately.”
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The council will rule on the application in the coming weeks.
Jeremy has shown off his farming skills and growing farm shop as part of his latest Amazon show, Clarkson’s Farm.
The series documented the star’s various farming disasters, including a bee getting stuck in his beekeeping suit and his bottled water failing various quality checks – meaning it had to be taken off the shelves.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
