Recently I was outside and noticed a white van parked in the entrance to my field which is part of my property. As I watched the bonnet was opened and then the nearside door and the person, who I could not make out, sat inside.

I thought that perhaps he had broken down and as I was not going to use that entrance that day, I left it. I then spoke to my wife and she told me that as she arrived back from shopping she had seen the van backing into the space beside my gate.

This was on Thursday 17th of May at about 12.00 to 12.30 midday. Over the course of the next 4hrs I kept an eye on this vehicle but saw no movement and no other vehicle (i.e. breakdown truck). I was mowing my back lawn and saw that it was still there and decided that when I finished I would go and see what was going on as the gate is for tractors and used quite often so cannot be blocked. I phoned a farmer down the road and he told me he had seen the van parking up carefully against the gate which had been strange but he didn’t see who was driving. There is enough space to swing in off the road, without reversing, as many vehicles do to take or make a phone call. About 4.30 to 5pm I finished and got to the gate which separates my garden from the field where I would have been in clear view of the van, before that there is a hedge and fence which would have hidden me most of the time, and as soon as I open the gate and started towards it the bonnet shut and the van spun around and roared of back the way it had come.

I am 70yrs plus old and became concerned by this behaviour but as it had gone and I had not got the number it was not an emergency so I phoned the police on 101 and after about half an hour someone answered and after I explained the situation they told me they would connect me to an officer who could give me some advice. I was put on hold and over an hour later was still on hold.

I was concerned that I would wake up in the morning with a field full of caravans or something so I then drove my land rover over and placed it across the inside of the gate as it was then getting late. I did not get much sleep that night as I was up every time I thought I heard a vehicle slowing down.

The following day I put some barbed wire round the gate and contacted the local police by their email service to find out what action I could take if anyone tried to break into my property. A day later my wife had a phone call from them, who according to her did not seem very concerned and the only advice was do not engage and get the vehicle reg number if they came back. He did say it was now on record and he would ring back Monday to talk to me, but left no return number.

Monday came and went with no phone call. Later, I cannot remember the day, an age thing, in frustration I sent another email expressing my dissatisfaction at this behaviour. I will not be told to run away on my own property. If the police are not prepared to help a pensioner these days how do you expect us to act.

Run, be stabbed, shot or worse. Then I suggest you think again, I will defend myself my wife and my animals in any way I can and the law can go to hell.

Signed a defiant pensioner

Eric Barker

Ashton