Jeremy Clarkson admits Cotswolds pub is 'a total disaster'

Jeremy Clarkson says his pub is in a far 'worse' place financially than his struggling farm credit:Bang Showbiz
Jeremy Clarkson says his pub is in a far 'worse' place financially than his struggling farm credit:Bang Showbiz

Jeremy Clarkson admits his Cotswolds pub The Farmer's Dog is "a total disaster" after being hit by a wave of thefts.

After admitting to making a measly £150 in the first year of running the nearby Diddly Squat Farm, the 'Clarkson's Farm' star has admitted his latest venture is in a far "worse" place financially.

Writing in his latest column for the Sunday Times newspaper, he confessed: "Behind the scenes, then, everything is a total disaster. But the fact is that when you go there you just wouldn’t know."

The former ‘Top Gear’ presenter revealed he has incurred a hefty £27,000 a month bill for parking and traffic marshals to “keep the local council off our back”, as well as costly energy bills, and to top it all off, people are swiping their pint glasses, with Clarkson claiming 104 “went missing” in one day.

He said: "The theft, for example, is extraordinary. People seem to have it in their heads that if they come in for a pint, they are entitled to go home with the glass in which it was served.

"Last Sunday 104 went missing. And that cost must be added to the £100 a day we spend on fuel for the generator, the £400 a week it costs to provide warmth on the terrace and the £27,000 a month we must spend on parking and traffic marshals to keep the council off our back."

Like his Oxfordshire farm, the Burford boozer attracts plenty of visitors, but he insists it’s “nigh-on-impossible” to make a profit.

He continued: "It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. It’s worse at the pub.

"The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible."

The ‘Grand Tour’ star also recalled one unfortunate incident he claims involved “a whole team” of “chemically trained hazmat engineers” after a punter suffered a bout of diarrhoea.