Former heavyweight champion Frank Bruno is reportedly selling his £1 million property
Former heavyweight champion Frank Bruno is reportedly selling his £1 million property after accusing neighbouring travellers of tapping into his water supply.
The 55-year-old boxer, who moved into his five-bedroom home near Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 2006, has allegedly had several run-ins with the community at the adjacent Toddbury Farm caravan site.
One of those confrontations was even filmed by a traveller and put on YouTube.
In the video shared across social media, Bruno is filmed driving up to the travellers after a caravan was shown ploughing into the hedging surrounding his home.
‘To put the whole bush back again I think it will need more than you can offer,’ he is heard saying.
‘I’m not disrespecting you. I’m not trying to talk down to you. I’m talking to you like a man – but I would like it how it was before.’
One neighbour said: ‘He’s got his home up for sale and, as far as I know, it has not yet been sold and I don’t think it will be.
The 55-year-old boxer, who moved into the five-bedroom Bedfordshire home in 2006, has allegedly had several run-ins with the travelling community
‘The problem is it borders onto a travellers’ site and he’s had all sorts of problems in the past with them.
‘I know that in the past they’ve even tapped into his water supply. It happened while he was away in America.
‘He came back a few weeks later and after he got back home, there was a massive water bill that arrived at his house.
‘The travellers must have been using his water for the entire site.
Frank Bruno’s primrose yellow house is pictured above his security gates
The travellers’ mobile homes are pictured on Toddbury Farm
‘I’m told he went up there to try and sort matters out with them, but I don’t think he got anywhere with them.
‘I think Frank was polite and respectful and just wanted to find out who was going to pay for the damage, but it was obvious they weren’t taking it seriously.’
This weekend Frank was not at the five bedroomed property which stands behind a high wooden fence.
A resident living at Toddbury Farm Residential Caravan Park said: ‘If Frank’s got his house up for sale it could have something to do with some of the run-ins he’s had with people living here. He’s a lovely man, he will do anything for you and he lets us get on with our lives. He always gives a wave as he’s passing by in his car.
‘But I know in the past he’s had a few problems with some of the residents. Maybe he’s had enough and wants to sell up.’
Evidence of drug abuse is pictured on the road just around the bend from Frank Bruno’s house
Evidence of drug abuse on the road just around the bend from Frank Bruno’s house
The resident said he knew there had been problems regarding claims that the ex-boxer’s water supply had been tapped into by some travellers and that his hedge had been damaged outside his home.
There are two traveller sites that stand next to each other and border his home.
One is called Green Acres Caravan Park, where the infamous Connors slavery family lived, and the other is Toddbury Farm Travellers Site.
Toddbury Farm was the scene of killing last summer when a simmering feud between two Gypsy families erupted into violence.
Patrick Maloney, a father of three who lived on a plot at Toddbury Farm, had a van driven at him by a young traveller called Christopher McCarthy who was 22 at the time and who lived with his family on the Greencres site.
Earlier this year he was convicted of manslaughter at Luton crown court and got 10 years for manslaughter.
Earlier this year it was reported that Central Bedfordshire Council were looking into acquiring the traveller sites if necessary by compulsory purchase in order to establish a council-owned and managed gypsy and traveller site.
A CBC report stated: ‘There are more people living on the site than there should be. The original permissions granted across the two sites were for 56 plots. In January 2017, when the gypsy and traveller count was completed, the total number of plots was 96.’
One of the over full industrial waste bins at the entrance to Toddbury Farm
The report went on ‘People on the sites have illegally ‘tapped’ into the water supply which has led to water pressure problems in the village which Anglian Water has had to address.
‘Private domestic electricity supplies have been accessed by people on the sites, running up significant bills for the occupier.
‘The field adjacent to the sites, owned by Summerleys Farm, has had ongoing issues with sewage being emptied and piped onto the field… fly-tipping has damaged the land, eroded the working acreage of some fields, and farm machinery has been damaged because of it.’
A number of fires were lit on the field in August 2016, requiring the fire service to be called out.
The report points out that had the fires spread to the overcrowded site, there would have been significant harm and possibly deaths.
The report goes on: ‘There have been three police operations involving arrests in relation to Modern Day Slavery.
‘In 2011, 24 vulnerable people were identified as being kept on the site through coercion, intimidation and abuse.
‘In July 2012 four members of a family living on site were found guilty of keeping workers in a state of servitude and forcing them to perform unpaid work.’
Despite arrests being made, slavery continued and further operations were held in 2014 with seven people rescued and again in 2015 with further arrests made.
‘Residents of Billington have told council officers that they are ‘fearful’ going about their everyday lives and the constant anti-social behaviour and criminality, including intimidation and threats, erodes their quality of life on a day-to-day basis.’
Mr Bruno’s agent declined to comment.
Champion fighter: World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Frank Bruno of Great Britain poses with the WBC belt in 1995