South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2005 | November | 18
From the archive, first published Friday 18th Nov 2005.
AN Old Sodbury farmer whose land is home to a controversial composting site has broken his silence after he claims he was the victim of an arson attack.
Speaking to the Gazette, Simon Mitchell said that controversy surrounding Southcroft Farm composting site has worsened following the attack whilst he was driving a farm machine.
He added that keys had been stolen and signs around the farm had been ripped down.
Mr Mitchell said he believes the vandalism and criminal attacks are due to ill feeling about the farm.
For more than a year the farm has been heavily criticised by the Compost Farm Action Group for the stench that the group claims has spread throughout the picturesque village.
Site managers Green Waste Management Ltd invested £10,000 in a deodorising machine to combat the problem but Mr Mitchell claims he and his parents, who own the farm, are being victimised.
"Of course there was a smell before when we were taking in waste but we invested thousands of pounds in combating that," he said.
"It makes you wonder exactly what the issue is here and we are beginning to feel that the constant attacks against us have become personal."
The 29-year-old, whose farm has belonged to the family for 150 years added: "We had an incident when somebody was trespassing on the land and taking all kinds of pictures. One incident left one of my workers feeling so uncomfortable he threatened to quit," he said.
Mr Mitchell has also hit out at claims made by the group that the composting site was in breach of planning regulations and waste had been dumped there illegally.
"We have complied with South Gloucestershire Council at every turn and inspectors have the code to my farm gates so they can come and go as they please. We have nothing to hide and do everything by the book," he said.
Now the young farmer is appealing to be left in peace.
"If somebody has a problem they can come and talk to me and I will do my utmost to resolve the issue. But we haven't done anything wrong and the authority can verify that, so we now want to be left alone to enjoy our farming lifestyle and tend to our land," he added.
A spokeswoman for the action group told the Gazette that it stood by its fight and vowed to carry on battling against the compost site.
Speaking to the Gazette yesterday, she said: "We have enough evidence to prove that Southcroft Farm has been storing waste illegally that exceeds planning regulations.
"The matter is now in the hands of the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the regional director of the Environment Agency who will be investigating the process that went into monitoring the amount of waste dumped at the farm."
© Newsquest Media Group 2008