Jeremy Clarkson: Police visited the presenter after he was accused of filling in badger setts

Jeremy Clarkson is well known for his slightly rash humour: he is quick to take a serious situation and make a joke. Let’s not forget that his stint on Top Gear, the car show in which he, Richard Hammond and James May became household names, came to an abrupt end after he punched a producer, Oisin Tymon. This happened during a late night row in 2015, and resulted in Clarkson being dropped by the BBC and Tymon launching a lawsuit that eventually saw him paid £100,000.

Clarkson’s success continued after this mishap, as he went on to host The Grand Tour, continued his work as a columnist and started his hit show Clarkson’s Farm. However, his take on countryside living is often somewhat controversial, and a recent visit from the police caused yet another stir.

Why Clarkson was visited by the police

Clarkson has spoken out about a recent visit from law enforcement. In his typically tongue-in-cheek way, he wrote in The Sun:

It's terrifying these days when you are accused of something you haven’t done. Because – and Christian Horner is learning this the hard way – the court of public opinion makes up its mind long before anyone knows all the true facts.

He went on to reference another high-profile scandal that has captivated the entertainment world for months: ‘See Phillip Schofield for details'. That being said, more pieces of the puzzle were recently revealed in Schofield’s case that paint him in a particularly bad light. However, let’s stick to the story at hand: the police came knocking at Clarkson’s farm because he had been accused of filling in badger setts.

Has Clarkson been filling in badger setts?

Clarkson recounted the story:

Which is why a little bit of poo came out this week when the police came round to say I’d been reported for filling in badger setts. That is a serious criminal offence which can result in big fines and lengthy prison sentences.

The Telegraph confirmed that Clarkson is not exaggerating: ‘killing a badger or disturbing a sett is punishable by law with up to six months in prison and an unlimited fine’.

The presenter obviously denied having done this, saying he would become a ‘social outcast’ if word ever got out that he was harming badgers. Ever the comedian, he stated:

Mercifully, however, I had the perfect excuse: 'I’ve shot all the badgers on the farm so why would I want to fill in their setts?'

Badgers in UK farms

You may be wondering what Clarkson - who recently revealed a major health scare - has against these animals. Well, they spread bovine TB, which is an infectious respiratory disease that could cause major issues across entire herds of cattle. In a recent episode of Clarkson’s Farm, he compared the creatures to teenagers:

They lie in bed all day, get up at night, transmit diseases, knock walls over, and then when the sun comes up, they go back to bed again.

Conservationists are concerned that the UK farmers’ war against badgers could see their numbers dwindle dangerously low, but those in the farming industry really struggle to cope. A third-generation dairy farmer from Wales, Abi Reader, explained that the effects can drive farmers to take their own lives:

You start losing a huge amount of money, and then you get stressed and more emotional about it, and get on a downward spiral. Some people have had their entire herds [of cattle] taken out.

This Clarkson controversy comes as his latest series of Clarkson's Farm is set to return to Prime Video on May 3.

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Sources used:

The Telegraph: Jeremy Clarkson is right – badgers in the UK are over protected

Express: Jeremy Clarkson's horror as Top Gear star pleads innocence after police visit his home