Fuming locals have likened the scene to the ‘Men in Black’, describing guards in black suits and sunglasses, and a number of police and US Secret Service agents on standby as JD Vance holidays in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is under a tight security lockdown as US Vice President JD Vance holidays in the Oxfordshire hamlet of Dean.
Fuming locals have likened the scene to the ‘Men in Black’, describing guards in black suits and sunglasses patrolling the lanes. Roads, footpaths and village lanes in and out of the area have meanwhile been sealed off, as a number of police and US Secret Service agents remain on standby. Only residents are allowed to enter or leave with ID checks, car searches and sniffer dogs in operation.
Two roads and three public footpaths have been blocked, and dog walkers are being diverted. Many locals are reluctant to speak due to security concerns, but some have voiced frustration over the closures. Vance’s trip to the Cotswolds comes as lawmakers said Donald Trump’s mental state is ‘clear to see’ as they urged to ‘act now’.
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Andy Graham, councillor for neighbouring Charlbury, compared the scene to the Men in Black. He said: “The trouble is when you get security on such a scale, it tends to be a bit initiatory. It was a bit like the Men in Black had arrived on a film set in Chipping Norton and Dean yesterday. Seeing someone dressed up with black suit, sunglasses, the whole lot, you kind of felt it was a bit over the top really.”
Mr Graham, who has lived in the area for 11 years, said he understands that people do need security but believes they haven’t been discreet about it. “And I think that tends to generate more concern than is necessary. Roads have been closed up,” he added. He also said the scale of the operation was “intimidatory” and questioned the use of police resources.
“I just worry about the number of police cars because at the end of the day they should be doing other things in the Thames Valley area,” he said. “I know there are some planned protests tomorrow from the locals. They have strong feelings. They are not happy. There is clearly concern over it. It’s the talking point of the community.”
In the nearby village of Chadlington, one woman called the high security a “waste of resources”. She said: “To be honest it’s the cost of it, the cost of the police, it’s obviously impacting Thames Valley and therefore everyone. We get permanent disruption from Diddly Squat Farm. It’s a real impact. I have one friend who had to go to Dean and she said the security was madness.
“Hopefully it will blow over because she was feeding someone’s cats, and you have to have your cars searched to go in. She just turned around, she said ‘you know what I’m have to make other arrangements’.”
A long-term Chadlington resident said the area had become “pretentious” and “chock-a-block” with outsiders. “I have been for 30 years, it’s yet another come to the Cotswolds, it’s all become a bit chock a block really,” she said. “We are just all a bit fed up with it all.
“It’s all become very pretentious. There’s so much money around. It used to be a really nice working village. For local people it’s a pain in the arse. Because people think it is somewhere to play and they go off and forget that it’s actually a working village.”
All entrances to the village – two roads and three public footpaths – have been blocked off, with a heavy police and US Secret Service presence stationed at a large marquee. Only residents of the hamlet are allowed in and out, dog walkers are diverted, and those entering are subject to car searches by security. Many locals are reluctant to speak about the visit due to security concerns.
It is believed JD Vance will be spending his time in the Cotswolds at an £8,000-a-week manor just a mile from Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm – months after the pair clashed over Britain’s military record. The 18th Century manor, tucked behind a 15ft stone wall, sits on a six-acre estate which was spotted crawling with US Secret Service agents.
It comes after the former Top Gear host branded Vance a “t**t” who has “no clue about history” in a Sunday Times column. The insult followed Vance’s claim the UK was “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years” – despite British soldiers being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Clarkson fired back: “Vance is a bearded God-botherer who pretty much thinks that women who’ve been raped should be forced to have the resultant child. I’ve searched for the right word to describe him and I think it’s t**t. He also has no clue about history. Because far more recently than 30 or 40 years ago… our brave young men were being blown to pieces in some godforsaken desert to support whatever madcap scheme the American president had embarked upon that week.”