EXCLUSIVE

by Gareth Davies

gareth.davies@essnmedia.co.uk

A huge wall of hay built to protect an "under siege" farmer from New Addington yobs has been burnt down – the day after it was built.

On Monday, Peter Johnson erected the fortification, which was 500 metres long and two metres tall, to protect Layhams Farm, just over the Croydon boundary in Bromley, from hordes of bikers.

But by Tuesday, his plan lay in ashes as bales of hay were set on fire overnight and left in a smouldering pile, strewn across the field.

It took Bromley firefighters the best part of a day to stop the bales smoking.

The fire also sent ash and smoke into homes bordering the barricade in Warbank Crescent and Aragon Close.

Mr Johnson, 68, claims the arson attack was the revenge of New Addington's motorcycle gangs who he keeps turning off his land.

He told the Advertiser "I am under siege."

The farmer, who owns 400 acres of land bordering the estate, says the incident is the latest in a series of attacks going back five years that have made his life a misery.

In the past few months, he has been sworn at and threatened with a knife when he confronted teenagers on dirt bikes who were using his land without permission.

He said: "What they have threatened me with, you could not print."

When he approached one biker, the yob turned on him and spat: "We know where you live and we will burn your house down."

Mr Johnson says cars have been set on fire in his driveway and yobs have hurled screaming abuse at him in the middle of the night.

He had hoped his wall, which was made out of hay he stacked together from his land in preparation for farming, would hold the bikers at bay.

"I thought that hopefully the rain would make it too damp to set fire to, but obviously I was wrong," he said.

Seeing his plan go up in smoke, Mr Johnson, who has farmed in the area for 30 years, said he feels like giving up entirely.

"I feel like throwing in the towel," he said.

"But I am not going to be forced out by a lot of yobs."

The incident comes two weeks after New Addington Police Safer Neighbourhoods Team held a meeting with residents to work out how to tackle the problem of antisocial use of motorbikes and mini-motos.

Sgt Tim Bull, head of the team, said he would be contacting Mr Johnson over the coming week to reassure the fed-up farmer.

In January, Mr Johnson risked the ire of motor vehicle enthusiasts by giving the banger racers using the track on Layhams Farm one year's notice that he intended to use the land to start farming sheep.