Jeremy Clarkson has made an urgent plea to fans hoping to attend the opening of his new pub, The Farmer's Dog, this August Bank Holiday weekend.
The Farmer's Dog, located just outside Burford in Oxfordshire and a stone's throw from his Diddly Squat farm, will open for the first time on Friday and plenty of fans are expected to attend.
However, as seen in his Amazon series Clarkson's Farm, the former Top Gear star's new ventures tend to attract overwhelmingly big crowds - case in point, the opening of his Diddly Squat farm shop.
The pub in Asthall will be serving food and drinks to punters come rain or shine on Friday afternoon but locals have raised concerns that traffic chaos may ensue if vast numbers attend.
As such, it's been reported the local council has implemented a series of measures to coincide with the opening, with alterations including the dropping of the speed limit on the Burford roundabout from 60mph to 40mph as well as ongoing improvements to local bus connections.
While the council seem keen to avoid any severe disruption, it appears Clarkson is too as he took to Instagram with some stern words of advice for prospective pub-goers.
Jeremy Clarkson's pub The Farmer's Dog is located just outside Burford in Oxfordshire
PA
On the Diddly Squat page, a video was shared showing the tractors hard at work on his farm now harvest season has arrived.
In the accompanying caption, the Diddly Squat admin penned: "Plenty to see on the commute to the @thefarmersdogpub."
But keen to ensure the narrow roads of the Cotswold countryside don't get overrun, Clarkson warned in the the comments section: "But PLEASE use the main roads."
Since announcing the opening of his pub, he and his team have also set up a social media page for The Farmer's Dog - but fears about traffic chaos appear to be a recurrent theme in the comments sections of its updates.
Jeremy Clarkson's new pub is his latest project after taking over the reins of his farm
AMAZON
After introducing the menu, one concerned local wrote in response: "Please try not to block the roads. I live locally!"
"Guys why are you not taking bookings at #thefarmersdog pub????? It will be mayhem, such a shame. Roads/parking will be horrific," another aired.
And even those who congratulated the Grand Tour host admitted: "Good luck! The place will be rammed and I hope this doesn't get you into trouble! Me and the dog shall visit when things calm down a bit." (sic)
Concerns over the facility and its impact on the local area have also been expressed by councillors, including Liam Walker who told the Telegraph: "It is important Oxfordshire County Council are supportive but also ensuring lessons have been learnt from the farm shop.
“I am concerned people will park in the lay-by when the car park for the pub is full and they will then need to cross a very busy A40. We have seen with the farm shop that people visit even when closed to take selfies with the signage so I suspect the same will happen here and the lay-by offers that easy option to do so.
“There is the potential that this will end up being farm shop-chaos mark two and I will be disappointed if that’s the case as there has been plenty of time and learnings to make sure this is safe for visitors and those passing by. We will find out at the weekend whether more will need to be done."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
A West Oxfordshire District Council spokesperson tried to allay fears as they said: “We are always keen to support local businesses and we have had initial conversations with Mr Clarkson and his team about the Windmill pub. We have provided advice and we are also practically supporting with various elements of opening the pub such as licensing, water supply and food safety.
"The county council are leading on the issues around parking and traffic, and are putting in place various measures.
"We will continue to work with the pub’s owners and management as well as partners, such as the county council, to support the business while also helping to minimise the potential impact on local residents and other businesses."
As well as the pub, Clarkson also has several other exciting features to share with fans at the location, explaining in a Farmer's Dog Instagram update: "Welcome to The Farmer's Dog pub. The Farmer's Dog is the first Hawkstone filling station. But it's not just a pub.
"It's also a restaurant. And in the garden, there's a farm shop, and a butcher, and an off licence, and a bar and an outpost where you can grab a fantastic meaty snack to enjoy on the lawns. Children are welcome. So are dogs. Everyone is. See you there."
