A farmer who wants to give travellers her land for free because she hates her neighbours was confronted by irate locals today and told: ‘We are not up our own a****’.
MailOnline captured the moment two cyclists remonstrated with Linda Watson outside her home in Kirtling, near Newmarket – a community she has accused of being stuck up.
Mrs Watson, 48, said yesterday she would be the ‘happiest woman going’ if travellers took up her offer to stay on her two-and-a-half acres in the Cambridgeshire countryside as long as they ‘ruin the village’.
Today she said she has been ‘inundated’ by requests from the travelling community and one family in neighbouring Suffolk are ‘seriously interested’.
But after panning her village, two cyclists from the area saw her at the gate this morning and one yelled at her: ‘We are not up our own a****. How dare you’.
Linda Watson was confronted by villagers outside her home today after offering travellers her land to annoy locals
Linda Watson (pictured) says she wants travellers to take over her plot in Kirtling, near Newmarket in the hope it will create ‘s*** for the village’ – but she could prosecuted if she pursues her plan
Mrs Watson, 48, said yesterday she would be the ‘happiest woman going’ if travellers took up her offer to stay on her two-and-a-half acres (pictured on a plan) as long as they ‘ruin the village’
A wide view of Kirtling, a village near Newmarket in the Cambridgeshire countrsyide
Mrs Watson asked them to calm down so she could ‘explain’ and a witness said angry local also said: ‘This is f***** ridiculous’.
The bad-tempered confrontation lasted almost half an hour but ended amicably with the couple riding away.
Mrs Watson’s offer to travellers has already caused a stir after she advertised the land on Facebook and said: Everyone in Kirtling is so far up their own a***.’
Today she revealed how she had also received abusive emails and Facebook messages since news of her offer was made public.
Mrs Watson made her controversial offer after a local council turned down her application to building temporary accommodation for stable workers on her two and a half acre plot.
She insists that travellers would have better luck making a similar planning application.
Today she said she had been ‘flooded’ with requests from travellers who wanted to take her up on her offer of buying the plot which she says is worth around £350,000.
One was from a group of travellers who were being evicted from the Red Lodge campsite in neighbouring Suffolk.
She said: ‘I have been inundated with calls. I just got off the phone to one traveller who is seriously interested.
‘The story has been sent to 32 traveller groups in England.’
She also repeated comments that she would welcome travellers on her land.
Mrs Watson said: ‘I know a lot of travellers and they are kind, lovely people and they have small kids and I would love to help them out’.
The 48-year-old has two sets of travellers coming to view the land this week (pictured behind her) and says she will hand it over for free
Ms Watson said: ‘It’s a great plot of land with electric, water and lovely scenery. I have advertised it on Facebook and had lots of interest from people wanting it for horses’
Owning the land for 17 years, she bought the stables and land as an investment for her family.
But she appears to have fallen out with her neighbours, famous Newmarket trainer and punter Jack Ramsden and his wife Lynda.
Mrs Watson was so annoyed by the planning dispute she said she’d emigrate
Linda said: ‘I have had it up to here and I want to leave and move abroad. I can’t do this any longer’.
Over the last year, she claims the Ramsdens disturbed her horses by landing a helicopter next to the stables and complained that an air rifle was also fired without warning.
Mr and Mrs Ramsden were not at home to comment today.
Despite causing a stir in the village Linda said: ‘I would welcome any villager to come and see me and talk to me and know that I’m not an ogre.
‘I just am at wits end and I have had no support from the village.’
With her husband, dog and chickens, Linda has been living on the land in a mobile home.
She said:’ I need to stay here to look after horses and I’ve been here 7 years without any problems. Now they say I need to either get planning for a house or apply to run this place as a business and I can stay here for 3 years.’
Linda applied for her temporary dwelling for an equestrian worker which got rejected by East Cambridgeshire council for her business plan.
Now Linda plans to move out and sell her property and believes travellers will be able to get planning where she failed, which has caused a major stir.
Paul Bradley wrote of Facebook: ‘Sounds like sour grapes toward the council and residents for her not being able to build a house, nothing to do with helping travellers, that’s just a type of payback or revenge. Sad.’
Gill Hammond Ballard said: ‘Spiteful woman. Using the plight of the travellers for her own satisfaction and for the attention. Try helping for the right reasons. One very sad individual.’
Jane Owen also wrote: ‘This is a generous offer until you read her reasons for doing it. It’s got nothing to do with compassion’.
Ms Watson had applied to build a small house on the land but says she is moving abroad after it was refused by the council
She spent £70,000 renovating the land and creating a stud farm and more recently she has run a horse rehabilitation business
Today it emerged Mrs Watson could face prosecution.
East Cambridgeshire District Council said Mrs Watson would have to get approval for changing the use of her land before she could invite travellers to camp there.
If she ignores them she could be dragged before the courts.
But the 48-year-old still has two sets of travellers coming to view the land this week and says she will hand it over for free.
She said: ‘It’s a great plot of land with electric, water and lovely scenery. I have advertised it on Facebook and had lots of interest from people wanting it for horses.
‘But I want to give it to travellers and I have two lots coming to take a look already this week.
‘I’ve had no support from anyone in this village. I’m happy to give the land away to travellers if I have to. I hope it will create s*** for the village’.
Ms Watson has owned the piece of land for the last 17 years and moved into a static caravan on the site with her partner four years ago.
She spent £70,000 renovating the land and creating a stud farm and more recently she has run a horse rehabilitation business.
Linda has lived in a mobile home on the land for seven years wit her husband
The farmer said that everyone in the village (pictured) is ‘too far up their own a***’
Ms Watson said noone in the Cambridgeshire village (pictured) has supported her plan
She recently applied to East Cambridgeshire District Council to have a small home on the site and improve her business.
But the council did not think her business plan was viable, so they rejected the plans.
She added: ‘This was just a run-down piece of land when I bought it but I’ve spent thousands making it look good, with fencing.
‘I had a meeting with the council about plans to make a permanent home here and they advised me to put forward a business plan, but they’ve since told me it was rubbish.’
She said she now plans to move abroad next month.
‘It’s a very well to do village, but they have done nothing for me,’ she said.
‘Not one of them has helped me with my planning application.
‘Travellers will be living here later this month and I’ll be moving abroad.’