An angry farmer sprayed dozens of tourists' cars with muck after they parked in a field at a UK beauty spot. Footage showed the moment at least 20 vehicles, which were parked on private land near Rydal Water in the Lake District, Cumbria, were covered in slurry on May 26. The field is just a stone's throw away from the stunning lake and scenery of nearby Rydal Mount where the poet William Wordsworth lived from 1813 until his death in 1850.
At the start of the video a sign is visible which reads "Polite Notice - DO NOT PARK IN THE FIELD" and above is another sign which says "SHEEP IN FIELD". A Black Mercedes appears to have been drenched in the putrid stuff while other fuming owners can be seen assessing the damage. The incident has been dubbed "countryside karma". Other luxury cars like Jaguars and BMWs were also covered in the incident. Parking in the beauty spot has been a long-standing issue with further pressure piled on during the bank holiday and summer periods.
It comes as John Atkinson, a farmer from the Coniston area, told the BBC he had been stabbed in the chest a few years ago when confronting a motorist who was causing an obstruction. Cumbria Police had previously warned visitors to the national park to park in an "appropriate place" which follows the "highway code".
Dylan Wakley, 25, recorded the video at 3:20pm as he was driving through the area to Buttermere with his partner Emma Hudson, 24. The farmer, from Lyme Regis, Devon, who was also on holiday at the time, said he has no sympathy for the car owners. He said: "I can't blame the farmer really. These motorists have ignored the sign and gone out of their way to park on the field, so fair enough. Any farmer who has dealt with tourists has dreamed of doing this. I say poor farmer for having to put up with them. Imagine coming back from a long walk to find your car covered in slurry, horrid. But it is their own fault. It acts as a good deterrent and is justice, really."
Dylan says that he heard that the car owners had parked there after moving rocks deliberately placed on the field by the farmer to stop people from accessing the field. He also said that people need to "remember to be considerate" and have some "common sense" which he says "people sometimes forget" when they are on holiday. Dylan said that later the same day he visited Ambleside and there were queues of cars waiting outside the local car wash.
Other people have posted online in support of the farmer. One said: "Never mess with a farmer and never park in their fields." Another said: "If only there was a water shortage and the car wash had been shut." One other local said: "He should get a bonus from the carwash company." Another commented: "This guy must be so frustrated, honestly. The absolute disrespect of some people. If it was my field, I would do so much worse just for the audacity of ignoring my signs. He also needs that shit he's wasting on these cars, so he's actually at a double loss here."
In a social media post, Cumbria Police said: "If you're parking somewhere, make sure it is following the highway code and in an appropriate place that is not going to block any drivers - especially emergency services vehicles that may need to get through." A spokesperson for Cumbria police said: "Police were made aware at 10pm on the 25 May of reports of cars having been sprayed with suspected cow slurry at a location near to Rydal. Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams are carrying out further enquiries to determine the full circumstances." They also said it appears the cars had parked on a farm owner's land without permission. The farmer, who is believed to have sprayed the slurry, has been approached for a comment.
