Kaleb Cooper, the farm manager and breakout star of Amazon Prime's Clarkson's Farm, has been accused of threatening to shoot down a drone flying over Diddly Squat farm in the Cotswolds. Drone enthusiast Andrew Dickinson, 37, from Preston, said Cooper launched a foul-mouthed tirade and warned he would blast the tiny aircraft out of the sky if it was not landed immediately.
In a secretly recorded video of the altercation, Cooper can be heard arguing with Dickinson, who was filming the farm from a layby. Cooper, accompanied by another farmhand, claimed the drone was an invasion of privacy. Dickinson insisted he was parked on public land and was not breaking any laws, as his drone weighs under 250g and is not subject to the same restrictions as larger drones.
Dickinson told MailOnline: 'Kaleb threatened to shoot the drone down if I didn't land it even after I explained the drone laws to him. He was swearing at us, asking how we'd like it if he flew a drone over our house. He was quite aggressive, but there was no need for it.'
Jeremy Clarkson, who owns the farm, has previously expressed concerns about drones being used by would-be thieves. In a Sunday Times column last October, he wrote: 'I give fair warning to any drone operator that if you fly one over my house again, I will shoot it down.'
The Civil Aviation Authority states there is no lower height restriction for drones under 250g, and they can be flown in residential or commercial areas. Larger drones must maintain a 150m horizontal distance from people and property. The area around Clarkson's farm near Chipping Norton is not subject to any no-fly zones.
Dickinson, who runs a YouTube channel sharing drone footage, said he started the hobby during lockdown. He added: 'It occurred to me that people just aren't aware of what's around them, so I fly over interesting places to see them from the air. But I'm very careful to obey the law.'
