Jeremy Clarkson clears dumped rubbish from Diddly Squat Farm

Former Top Gear presenter Mr Clarkson blasted fly-tippers last month who left a “mountain of waste”, including a trampoline, bin bags, and hubcaps in a field at Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington.

He was forced to pay £250 pay for a skip and clean up the mess himself with his JCB digger as it was on his farmland, according to national reports.

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Writing for The Times, Mr Clarkson said: “A b*****d has been in the night. He broke a padlocked gate and fly-tipped a small mountain of household waste in one of my fields.

“Hubcaps, an old trampoline, assorted bin bags and various soft porn DVDs. You know the sort of thing.

“It’s so annoying. If he’d dumped it at the side of the road it would have been the council’s job to sit around thinking of excuses for not clearing it up. But he didn’t. He dumped it on my land, so the responsibility was mine.”

The Clarkson’s Farm star said he could not transport the rubbish to the roadside because legally that would be deemed fly-tipping.

It comes as concerns were raised over West District Oxfordshire Council tasking a "team of one" with fly-tipping prevention work across its 71,494-hectare district.

Councillor Dean Temple, who represents Chadlington and Churchill, said: “I think from an ethical perspective it does seem unfair that farmers are having to waste their time and resources to clear up the mess left by thoughtless and callous individuals. 

“I do believe that the local authorities should take into account all the problems facing farmers in the local area.

“They are the backbone of our community and for too long have been seen by many in power as an inconvenience."

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Decisions to employ a "team of one" come amid the council's crackdown on anti-social behaviour and an increase in the fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping from £400 to £1,000.

West Oxfordshire District Council said there were more than 1,100 fly-tipping incidents in the district between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023.

The estimated cost of the clean-up in a report last December was above £20,000 plus the waste tipping costs.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “It is time for the public and our justice system to say ‘enough is enough’ and tackle the selfish vandals who are trashing our environment for profit. 

“The public can play their part by ensuring that they only give their unwanted ‘stuff’ to reputable, licensed waste carriers who will dispose of it correctly and the courts must help by using the considerable sentencing powers they have order hefty fines and even jail ‘professional fly-tippers’ when they are caught. "

December's report also noted a link between a tougher approach to charging at the household waste recycling centres and increased incidents of fly-tipping.

But evidence was cited that abolishing charges did not necessarily lead to a reduction in fly-tipping and it was noted this was a matter for Oxfordshire County Council.

A West Oxfordshire District Council spokesman said: “Fly-tipping is a blight on our beautiful district and we take enforcement very seriously which is why we have agreed to increase the amount people can be fined in West Oxfordshire.

"We have a team working across the district to enforce fly tipping in West Oxfordshire including putting up cameras to catch those responsible.”

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: ”We are not aware of any discernible links between charging and fly tipping in Oxfordshire.

“The vast majority of fly-tipping concerns commercial scale and or materials that are free to dispose of across all of our sites, such as mattresses and black bag waste.”