Gutted...due to offroading scumbags...

[gregster]

Good evening Foggers...


I went to see a farmer today, who has had an offroad site for years near my workshop outside maidstone.

This site was for rtv trials, motorbike trials and off road days...

Havent been up there for about a year, but I have rented the site for offroad playdays many times before....

Was nice to see the old fella again,

The plan was to fix up some dates for a SE meet and play as we are well overdue one...



However...

He has now dug trenches into the entrances of his woods, to stop anyone getting in there in vehicles,
as he got fed up with people breaking his fences down, and driving through his fields to go for a play when they felt like it.

He told me he was threatened on a number of occasions when he went up there to see what was going on late at night...

He has also had 3 stolen 4x4's joyriden and burnt in the woods, damaging his barn on one occasion.

He was very apologetic to me, and said it was a shame that a few people has spoilt it for everyone else.

He also told me that he was sure that he recognised some of the cars breaking in from offroad days there before..
(but he couldnt be 100%, but my thoughts are that this place is so remote that you would never find it unless you have been there before!)

He told me he never had problems with motorbikes getting in there ever...just 4x4's!!!


So there you have it...

A brill little offroad site, which would have blinding for us guys to use,
...has gone due the actions of a bunch of w**kers that go around threatening 75yr olds, breaking and entering and burning stolen cars.


You wanna know the really stupid thing....

THIS OLD BOY WAS SUCH A DIAMOND...

...HE USED TO CHARGE £10 A CAR FOR A Noon till Sunset play...

...including use of the tractor if needed!!...

and yet these to**ers with probably £500 of tyres on there 4x4's were not even willing to pay that...



I am sad to say that I am ashamed and embarrassed to be an "offroader" tonight....

....might have to slam my trucks and get into minitrucking (they don't seem to have such total idiots on their scene!)

Laters

Gregster

( I am trying to find another venue at the moment...but might have to be at Woodlands near west kingsdown, as I not sure I want to wish the same fate as above on one of my mates' farms.)

[Krusher]

As you say Greg, T****rs spoil it for everyone else and also ruins the the reputation of law abiding offroaders.

Great shame, we need a good P+P site down here

[gregster]

Can't believe our people would act like that, if they had asked he would let em in the woods for next to nothing,
And as for threatening the old boy, I wish I new who it was as they wouldnt be doing that again...if you know what I mean!
Going to talk to woodlands and see if I can arrange a SE meet and play up there.

Laters

Gregster

[Road Hog]

Unfortunately there is always somebody out to spoil the party Gregster,the best we can hope for is that a similar fate will be suffered by them

[Sir-Doris]

What A friend said... And all for the sake of a tenner.

[BadBoy]

[priestinthejeep]

[Roo]

Hi Gregster
That is really bad news & for those who threatened him that's just terrible ..


Just a thought, couldn't you go back and ask the guy if it would be possible to use his land, and tell him that the group after the weekend will put the land back as he would want i.e ditches back etc ..., No harm in asking... Sorry if you have asked him that before hand...

Good Luck yeah

[Big Dave]

Unfortunately these to$$ers are everywhere

We (myself and two friends) used to visit a farmer and drive in his field. He was visited by the local council officials stating he would need insurance as he was running an off road site. Turns out he had received complaints from his 'neighbour'. nearest neighbour was two miles away.

We weren't doing any harm on private land.

On a slightly lighter note - we have a lot of trouble with off road bikes. Seems the kids on the estate I look after like to ride them with no helmets on, on the public road and through the local forest.

Not just 4x4'ers - but bet we get most of the blame.......

[Roo]

[Drift]

You are only allowed 24 or maybe 25 days a year motor sport on private land, paid or unpaid, after that you need planning permission.
Notice most offroad venues only operate once a month
Public liability insurance is really a must have if you allow anyone to use your land, even someone tripping over a badly placed ball of wire can claim, same as house insurance.

Off course we wouldnt expect friends to claim, but there are ruthless folk out there and will take advantage.
No win no fee and all that.

[gregster]

I have tried already seeing if he would let just us use it and its a no-no....
...I can't blame him to be honest and dont plan to ask him any further, he's an old boy and I don't want to persuade him into something he really isnt comfortable with.
I might phone him and ask him to write down the reg numbers of any 4x4's he sees sniffing around his new obstructions and pass them on to me.
My mates and I down here know most of the offroaders in this part of kent, and hopefully the original offenders can be identified so that they can be "educated" in the errors of their ways by me and few of my buddies one evening!

Ps ....what you were saying about land usage with planning consent, as far as I am aware this correct, only a change in the law means that a farmer cannot claim "set-asside" or whatever its called now, on land that is used this way.
Hence farmer can claim subsidy if field is unused but if used for a couple of days offroadin they the farmer gets nought....these subsidies are quite a lot of dosh too, more than they would get from a bit of offroadin and no agro for them... they cant also divide fields (ie that the tracks round the outside are used), the whole field unused or no subsidy (this really hit the comp safari scene hard as use miles of tracks across many fields...hence a lot of courses went!)....but thats what we are up against foggers!!

Laters

Gregster

[Roo]

[Sir-Doris]