Jeremy Clarkson has taken on local walkers at his Diddly Squat Farm, placing beehives on the edge of his farm, next to a public footpath, to keep curious fans out.
The 64-year-old TV star has strategically placed 11 beehives behind a five-foot hedge at the bottom of a lane leading to his Cotswolds farm.
The 1.6-kilometre-long path is closed to all traffic, but hikers are allowed to use it. Fans of the Amazon Prime reality series Clarkson’s Farm like to walk along it, trying to catch a glimpse of his farm, where he lives with his girlfriend Lisa.
Clarkson said in an interview earlier this year that there had been a number of incidents of people trespassing on his property following the global success of the series that follows his adventures in the countryside.
However, local walkers have criticized the star for placing the beehives there, with several people complaining that the beehives had been stung.
Jeremy Clarkson has gone to war with local walkers at his Diddly Squat Farm – by placing beehives on the edge of his farm next to a public footpath to keep curious fans out
Clarkson, 64, (pictured) has strategically placed 11 beehives behind a five-foot-high hedge at the bottom of a lane leading to his Cotswolds farm
Local walkers have criticised the star for placing the beehives where he did, and several people have complained of being stung.
Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds has attracted hundreds of visitors
One resident, who did not want to be named, told MailOnline: ‘I was walking my dog past the beehives and got stung on the head. It really hurt and I’ve been suffering from it for a few days. They don’t live a safe distance from the road either.’
Another added: ‘I got stung a few weeks ago and I don’t go there anymore. He doesn’t want people looking at his house or going in and that’s understandable.
‘I understand that Jeremy doesn’t want fans walking onto his property to look for him, but it seems a bit dangerous to have so many beehives right next to a public road, hidden behind a large hedge.’
But Gerald Cooper, the down-to-earth, straight-talking star of Clarkson’s Farm, hit back at the walkers, telling MailOnline that anyone affected by it has only themselves to blame.
“If people don’t want to get stung, they should stay off the roadway,” he said. “People who are coming from outside the area shouldn’t be there anyway.
‘It’s summer, there are a lot of bees flying around and bee stings happen. What’s going on? These bees aren’t dangerous, I don’t understand what people are complaining about.’
A resident, who did not want to be named, told MailOnline: ‘I was walking my dog past the beehives and got stung on the head. It really hurt.’
Gerald Cooper, the down-to-earth, straight-talking star of Clarkson’s Farm, hit back at the walkers – telling MailOnline that anyone affected by it has only themselves to blame
The 74-year-old fan favorite Mr. Cooper, who works with Clarkson on the show, recently revealed on the show that he has prostate cancer.
Clarkson revealed towards the end of season three, which aired earlier this year, that his good friend had overcome cancer after several radiation therapy sessions.
When asked by MailOnline about his health, Cooper gave a thumbs up and joked: ‘I’m fine and the bees are fine.’
In addition to the beehives, there are also a number of signs on a fence at the entrance to the trail. One sign reads: ‘Private property. No entry without permission.’ Another sign reads: ‘Footpath only. No horses, bicycles or vehicles.’
A sign next to it warns: ‘Bull in the field’, but locals said they had never seen one.
The hives are positioned about 1.5 metres from the edge of the path, but beekeeping experts strongly warn owners not to place their hives near public footpaths as the bees could attack unsuspecting passers-by.
The British Beekeepers Association advises: ‘Do not site your beehives opposite neighbours’ properties or near a public footpath.’
One resident told MailOnline: ‘We like Clarkson but not his fans. He’s done a lot for this area and we even get to buy things at a discount in the farm shop.
“But the tourists that come here now are a nuisance. Hopefully the bees will keep them away and sting them if they try to come near his property, but I’m not sure he put them in the right place.”
The huge success of the show and Clarkson’s world-famous farm shop have caused chaos on the previously quiet country roads surrounding his farm.
Thousands of visitors flock to the area where the 1,000-hectare estate is located and visit the Diddly Squat farm shop.
The surrounding roads are constantly congested and dozens of visitors queue for more than an hour to buy goods or eat in the farm shop café.
Filming is currently underway for the fourth season of Clarkson’s Farm.
Ahead of the release of the third season of Clarkson’s Farm, the former Top Gear presenter vented his frustrations about the ‘invading’ fans.
He recalls an incident where he was sitting in the kitchen and was approached by a stranger whom he mistook for a member of the film crew. He said: ‘He looked at me, while I was writing the voice-over for Clarkson’s Farm, and said, “Oh, is this the new series?”
“I said, ‘Yeah.’ I was chatting and then all of a sudden I said, ‘Who are you?’ And he said, ‘I was just walking by.’ I said, ‘No, I’m sorry, you can’t just walk into someone’s house and pull up a chair.'”
In another incident, he recounted how a group of children knocked on his front door. When he opened the door, their mothers told them to “come in.”
Clarkson has taken a leaf out of the book of his famous Cotswolds neighbour David Beckham, who used bees as a defence against prying eyes at the £12million mansion she shares with wife Victoria
Ahead of the release of the third season of Clarkson’s Farm, the former Top Gear presenter expressed his frustrations about the ‘invading’ fans
In one incident, Lisa came out of the shower and saw a couple looking around their house
He added: ‘You have to be nice to the children, it’s clearly not their fault. But I did take the mothers aside and say: “You can’t do that.”‘
In another photo, Lisa stepped out of the shower to find a couple looking around their home.
Clarkson has taken a cue from his famous Cotswolds neighbour David Beckham, who used bees as a defence against prying eyes at the £12million mansion she shares with wife Victoria.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star has placed beehives near a public footpath that runs past his home, angering locals.
One of them said: ‘It feels like a very strange thing to do.
‘It feels like he’s trying to get people to abandon the sidewalk. Why else would he put them so close to the sidewalk when he’s got at least two very large fields to the north and south of the house to put them in?’