Jeremy Clarkson ordered to shut his Diddly Squat Farm cafe and restaurant
Jeremy Clarkson has been ordered to shut down the cafe and restaurant on his famous Diddly Squat Farm, just three months after opening it up to the public.
The former Top Gear presenter has been butting heads with the West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) over his 1,000-acre Cotswolds farm for quite some time now.
But, after some back and forth, Jeremy managed to get his Diddly Squat Farm restaurant up and running in July, thanks to a 'delightful little loophole'.
Just a few months later, the controversial broadcaster was hit with an order from the council to shut down the al-fresco eatery, over claims that he had breached planning laws.
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In August, the WODC served Clarkson a notice ordering him to make a series of changes to his diner - including removing all mobile toilets and tables used for dining.
It also demanded that the farm, which fans will recognise from Amazon Prime Video's Clarkson's Farm, stop selling products that had not been made on the farm, or within a 16-mile radius of it, with just a few exceptions.
A statement from the WODC read: "Council officers have worked with the owner and planning agents of the business, over many months, to investigate breaches in planning control, advising on how the business can be operated in a lawful way and trying to reach a solution.
"The business continues to operate outside the planning permissions granted and advice has been ignored. The activity has also had a significant impact on the local community."
Agents for Jeremy Clarkson's farm have denied any planning law breaches and have argued that the six-week period they had been given to under take the new list of orders was simply too short.
Clarkson's team are planning to appeal the council's order.
Before Clarkson's restaurant first opened back in July, his plans to open up the diner were initially rejected by the local council. Despite the initial setback, the motorhead managed to open up the restaurant anyway.
Speaking to The Sun at the time, he explained: "We had planning permission turned down but we're opening anyway.
"Everyone at Diddly Squat has spent the last three months becoming an expert in planning regulations and we've found a delightful little loophole.
"We're going to sell all the stuff we produce on the farm and finally make some profit from the stuff we grow rather than run up losses."
LADbible has approached Jeremy Clarkson's representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Jeremy Clarkson, Food And Drink
Ali Condon