Farm 999 Season 1 Episode 5

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Transcript

00:00Farming is the most dangerous profession in the UK.

00:06Within seconds, the whole barn was alight.

00:10And farmers are increasingly under threat from criminal gangs.

00:14Police officer, show yourself now!

00:17This programme follows the emergency services.

00:20I wasn't entirely convinced the outcome was going to be brilliant.

00:23And dedicated rural crime units.

00:25You're looking at the result of organised crime.

00:28Working in the UK's most isolated communities.

00:32There's a tractor! You're revving a lot!

00:35From heroic rescues to deliberate attacks on animals and farms.

00:40All the trouble started five years ago, and each year it seems to get a lot worse.

00:45Stand by for a slice of rural life like you've never seen before.

00:52You don't think about farming then, you're just thinking, am I going to live or die?

00:56I'm Steph McGovern and this is Farm 999.

01:04Coming up...

01:07Angry local farmers catch illegal fly tippers in action.

01:11They'll clear it. They're not going anywhere until they clear it.

01:14Too late to clear it.

01:15Grazing land and livestock in the Morn Mountains are under threat from raging fires.

01:20I've never seen a fire like it and I wouldn't like to see another one.

01:24And reporter Paul Colgan meets an incredible survivor of domestic abuse on a small farm in Wales.

01:31There was a number of points where I didn't think I'd see my children again.

01:35You're just trying to stay alive minute by minute.

01:43Well, we're starting the show today in Warwickshire where police officers and farmers work together to catch fly tippers in the act.

01:50Farmers have blocked in two men who've been caught dumping huge loads of waste material on their land.

02:06They'll clear it. They're not going anywhere until they clear it.

02:09Fly tippers like these two have been illegally dumping rubbish in the area for the past 12 months.

02:14And farmers have had enough.

02:17They just think they can do anything and get away with it.

02:21Police arrived to the scene as tensions were mounting.

02:24But will these brazen fly tippers finally be held to account?

02:28Whatever you show us won't make any difference.

02:33Tom Beattie and his brother Adam farm on the Packington Estate in Warwickshire.

02:38We're a mixed farm, beef, sheep, arable.

02:42We've been here for 60 odd years, I have.

02:47So we're custodians of the land.

02:50We take a certain pride in what we do.

02:54Unfortunately though, Tom and Adam's hard work to keep their farm looking good and running well

02:59had been frequently undermined by fly tippers, illegally dumping rubbish on their land.

03:05It seems to be getting worse and we just can't seem to stop it.

03:11And you go out in the mornings and if it's not here, it's on a neighbour's or we get fed up with it.

03:18Across England alone, there are over a million cases of fly tipping each year

03:23and farmers like Tom are left counting the cost.

03:26It costs us to clear it if it's on our land, you know, it's £300 minimum.

03:32We've lost livestock before through rubbish put over the fences and they'll come and chew on it or sniff it.

03:40And if it's toxic, then it does them no good at all.

03:45The machines we use on the arable side, a bit of rubbish go up the combine like this.

03:53It can cost thousands of pounds worth of damage.

03:57It all came to a head in February 2024.

04:00Tom was working in the farmyard when his phone rang with distressing news.

04:05I had the phone call to say, we've got fly tippers, they're on the lane, they're dumping.

04:11Tom's brother Adam and some of the farm staff had already challenged the perpetrators as they made to get away.

04:17Tom approached from the opposite direction.

04:20I jumped in the truck and cut across the fields.

04:23As soon as they saw Adam and the estate staff coming up, they did a runner with the vans, speeding off up the lane.

04:33Brother was behind them, following them with a pickup and trailer.

04:38I saw the waste they dumped and it was all builders, materials, everything to do with a house renovation.

04:48We caught up with them, we sandwiched them in, so they couldn't get past us.

04:56Realising a tense situation could escalate, police made their way to the scene.

05:02Farmers have trapped in two vans.

05:04The fly tip looks like quite a lot, all the way down the track.

05:08Rural crime officer Andy Steventon knows fly tipping has been a real headache for farmers in the area.

05:14When they're having to deal with it day in, day out, every weekend,

05:17they're coming in on Mondays and finding these at different locations.

05:20And it's a consistent problem, it's not something that's just started,

05:23it has been going on for years.

05:25It's probably the first time they'd actually caught somebody in the act of doing it.

05:29We were cross, you know, we were angry.

05:32Whatever you show us won't make any difference.

05:34We're going to turn around as well.

05:36Later on, we'll find out what happened to these fly tippers

05:39when the police start asking tricky questions.

05:42What would you do if I came to your house?

05:44Don't pay the **** when you couldn't do it on your front drive.

05:51This next story involves a crime often hidden in rural communities.

05:55Domestic violence.

05:57Our reporter Paul Colgan has been to visit Rhiannon Bragg,

06:01who suffered shocking domestic abuse on a small farm in North Wales.

06:06I should warn you, some people may find this upsetting.

06:09North Wales is home to some very spectacular scenery,

06:22but unfortunately, like in many isolated rural areas,

06:26life is a very good thing.

06:28North Wales is home to some very spectacular scenery,

06:34but unfortunately, like in many isolated rural areas,

06:38life isn't always idyllic,

06:40especially if you find yourself living with a partner

06:44who views that isolated lifestyle

06:46as an opportunity to control and abuse you.

06:52The National Rural Crime Network found domestic abuse

06:55can last 25% longer in the countryside,

06:58and rural victims are half as likely to report it

07:01as those in towns and cities.

07:05Mother of four, Rhiannon Bragg,

07:07lives on a smallholding in the foothills of Snowdonia.

07:11But her rural haven quickly became a place of despair

07:14when she fell for a fellow farmer who later became abusive.

07:19Hi. I love you to meet you.

07:21You too. How are you getting on?

07:23Well, thank you. Come in.

07:24Thanks very much.

07:25Rhiannon, tell me how you met your former partner.

07:29My father had a massive stroke towards the end of 2013,

07:32and I came home to look after the place.

07:35As it happened, I then have a puncture about half a mile from home.

07:39Gareth turned up to fix the puncture,

07:41and it really started from there.

07:43We had lots of interests in common.

07:45You know, shooting.

07:46Shooting was a very normal part of life, rurally.

07:48And to start off with, it all seemed perfect.

07:50It seemed like, I mean, it seemed too good to be true.

07:52And when did you realise

07:54that the relationship was going bad?

07:56In 2016, that was the first time he lost his temper massively.

08:01He used a suicide threat for the first time.

08:04I'd never heard of suicide threats as far as a controlling behaviour.

08:08I had got used to things like him having his hands at my throat,

08:12him punching things next to my head,

08:14swinging a crowbar at me.

08:16But even as the violence escalated, Rhiannon initially felt unable to speak out.

08:22I saw him as being a very popular person in the area.

08:26You know, this is a close-knit community.

08:28Everyone knows everyone else, which has its pros and its cons.

08:33So he's trying to isolate you emotionally and mentally,

08:36but also physically, living where you do,

08:39you're a bit isolated as well.

08:41Well, do you know, this place, I absolutely love it.

08:43And for me, it had always, always been a place of peaceful seclusion.

08:47And it's only his behaviour that changed that

08:50and made it a place of vulnerable isolation.

08:55Rhiannon ended the relationship in 2019,

08:58but her issues with Gareth didn't finish there

09:01and he began following her and issuing threats.

09:06The stalking and the level of stalking got worse and worse.

09:08My anxiety was sky high.

09:11It had got to the point, I can remember thinking,

09:13I can't take this anymore.

09:15Gareth was arrested three times for harassment,

09:19menacing behaviour and witness intimidation.

09:22But each time, police released him.

09:25And then there was the incident that brought everything to a conclusion.

09:30I had a CCTV camera put up.

09:32I got out of my car.

09:34He jumped out in full camouflage,

09:37shooting gear and holding a shotgun to my chest.

09:43Rhiannon was led to a nearby barn and held at gunpoint.

09:47There was a number of points where I didn't think

09:49I'd see my children again.

09:51At every point, I was trying to make the right decision

09:55to stop him getting worse.

09:58You're just trying to stay alive minute by minute.

10:02During one part of the night,

10:03it became apparent that I had a doctor's appointment

10:05the following morning.

10:06He said,

10:08well, you'll have to go to your appointment.

10:10It was the first slight glimmer that I could potentially survive this.

10:14After a gruelling eight hours, Rhiannon was given permission

10:18to go to her doctor's appointment.

10:20Once at the surgery, she raised the alarm with her GP

10:23and the police were called.

10:25When they arrived, they discovered Gareth in the car park,

10:28having tried and failed to get into the doctor's surgery.

10:31The first time he was interviewed, he denied having a gun with him.

10:35So without that CCTV footage, it would have been his word against mine.

10:41Gareth Wynne-Jones was jailed for stalking, false imprisonment,

10:45making a threat to kill and possession of a firearm.

10:49He was handed four and a half years imprisonment and five years on licence.

10:53Living in this part of the world, lovely as it is,

10:59it seems to have shaped your experience and enabled him.

11:04Massively.

11:05It's really easy to block someone on a single track road

11:08and there isn't anyone around to notice or to stop them.

11:11He knew, as far as phone signal,

11:14it would be really hard to make a call to anybody.

11:17It comes down to more than that.

11:19You know, the police, I can remember thinking,

11:21oh, my God, well, if I call the police,

11:23how long will it actually take them to get here?

11:25I love living rurally, but we have to address all of these issues.

11:31Stories like Rhiannon's are both shocking and heartbreaking.

11:35I've crossed the border now to the north of England

11:38where a converted camper van is providing a safe space

11:41for women dealing with domestic abuse in rural areas.

11:44Kelly Broadbent is in the driving seat today.

11:47So this is called Libby, this van.

11:50The van is called Libby for short,

11:52which is the term for the provision is Liberty Links.

11:56We're the link between the ladies in rural areas

11:58and the mainstream services.

12:00And what sort of stories do you hear in the van?

12:03We do find there's quite often ladies

12:05that are living in financial crisis.

12:08We had a lady come and see us

12:10that had fled domestic abuse that morning

12:12and have supported older ladies

12:14that have been married to people for a long time

12:16and they've normalised that behaviour.

12:18And we make sure that we stop and park in places

12:21that would be on a footfall, so a market day for instance.

12:25If they are being tracked,

12:26they're not going anywhere outside of that typical footfall.

12:29To go along and have an opportunity to speak

12:31when they were ready to do so

12:33can make a world of difference for a lady

12:35that might be suffering in silence.

12:4032 women have accessed support through Liberty Links

12:43in the last two years.

12:45One of the ladies who now uses the service

12:47for ongoing support has agreed to meet me.

12:50For her safety, we're not revealing her identity.

12:54So tell me about your experience of domestic abuse.

12:58I was in it for about ten years.

13:00It was violent episodes.

13:02You know, I've had knives to my neck and all sorts of things.

13:06Wanted to isolate me, wanted to move me out of area.

13:09If you want to go to the doctors, they come with you

13:11so that you can't say anything.

13:13People see it differently from the outside.

13:15The perpetrator comes across as very lovely,

13:18percepting as somebody totally different

13:20than what they were inside the house.

13:22Services like this one would have been of help.

13:26Absolutely, yes.

13:28Because there was no real services

13:30in the area where I lived.

13:32If there'd been something like this

13:33that I could have gone to

13:35and if I was doing my shopping I could pop on

13:37to disclose all the information

13:39then that would have been amazing.

13:45The stories from these survivors

13:47are a powerful reminder of the hidden horrors

13:50that is involved in domestic abuse.

13:53Hopefully, the decision they've taken

13:55to bravely tell their stories

13:57along with initiatives like Liberty Links

13:59will remove some of the stigma

14:01that many abuse survivors face.

14:06Well, with me now is Judith Vicarus,

14:08who is from Rural Initiatives Tackling Abuse.

14:12This is an organisation you've set up

14:14very much inspired by Rhiannon, isn't it?

14:17Absolutely.

14:18So I reached out to Rhiannon after I saw her

14:22talking about her experience

14:24because it really resonated with what we're trying to achieve.

14:27What I'm trying to do is shape services

14:30and our understanding of rural domestic abuse

14:32through Survivor Voice

14:34and amplify rural survivor voices

14:36because that's been missing.

14:38How big of a problem is it then?

14:40The kind of rural domestic abuse?

14:42It's really difficult to say

14:43because most of the data that we do see

14:46comes from telephone calls to the police.

14:49We know that a majority of survivors,

14:53victim survivors, do not call the police.

14:55So it's a really hidden crime

14:58and I think particularly in rural areas.

15:00So there are certain things

15:01because of the environment,

15:02the isolation and things which contribute to it.

15:04Yeah, absolutely.

15:05I think overwhelmingly it's really important

15:08to sort of get this across is social isolation.

15:11Women have described to me of, you know,

15:13why would I call the police?

15:14Everybody's going to see that car outside my house

15:16and ask why the police were there.

15:19Plus he knows all of the police.

15:21Economic abuse is really particularly strong

15:25in rural communities.

15:26You know, not having access to vehicles,

15:29the perpetrator perhaps controlling the access to the vehicle.

15:32The work that I've done over the years in cities and towns,

15:36it's quite easy to say,

15:38actually we need to move the perpetrator.

15:40Let's stop putting the emphasis on the survivor to move.

15:43But when they're the farmer

15:46and they're third, fourth generation farming,

15:49that's not going to happen.

15:50So it's so complex.

15:52It's so complex.

15:53I guess we've all got a responsibility as well, haven't we?

15:55Absolutely.

15:56You know, to look out for the signs as well.

15:58Like what's your advice on that

16:01in terms of what we should be all looking out for?

16:03If you see somebody change in terms of their demeanour,

16:10just ask, you know, are you okay?

16:12Yeah.

16:13Is everything okay?

16:14It's really important to say that men experience domestic abuse,

16:17although predominantly it is women.

16:21So many survivors have said to me,

16:23it's that very first way in which somebody speaks to you.

16:30You know, they're often convinced that nobody will believe them.

16:33And sometimes that is lived out, unfortunately.

16:36Yeah.

16:37And we all need to be talking about it.

16:39I mean, you're right.

16:40We do need to talk about it more.

16:41So thank you for coming here to talk about it with us.

16:43Not at all.

16:44Thank you for having me.

16:46Now, if you or someone you know is suffering domestic abuse,

16:49you can get more information and support

16:51at bbc.co.uk forward slash action line.

16:56Still to come on Farm 999,

16:58emotions are running high as farmers in Warwickshire

17:01catch fly tippers red handed.

17:04Whatever you show us won't make any difference.

17:06But will they get their comeuppance?

17:08Having seen what was in front of us,

17:11it was absolutely appalling what these two individuals have done.

17:17Unfortunately, wildfires are becoming increasingly more common

17:21with more and more farmers being affected by them.

17:24April here in Northern Ireland was a particularly bad month.

17:28Have a look at this,

17:29and then after I'm going to chat to a farmer

17:31about what lessons we can learn.

17:34The fire service says it's been responding to multiple wildfires

17:45across Northern Ireland this evening.

17:47146 wildfires have broken out in just three days in the Mon Mountains.

17:52We had winds, we had sun, and we had no rain at all.

17:57Basically what you would call the perfect storm.

18:04The Mon Mountains in County Down are a designated area of outstanding natural beauty

18:10and welcome more than half a million visitors every year.

18:13For farmer Brian O'Hanlon, it's also a place of work.

18:22He's part of the Mon Conservation Graziers.

18:24We've been farming here six generations.

18:27We're one of five graziers here.

18:30We're grazing 3,000 hectares.

18:32Brian's one of many farmers in the area

18:35who work alongside conservation grazing ranger Andrew Bird.

18:39I'm from this area.

18:41I have a farming background.

18:43So we're grazing this in such a way as to reduce erosion

18:47and promote vegetation growth.

18:49Unfortunately for the livestock and vegetation,

18:53this dramatic landscape is also a hotspot for wildfires

18:57and last spring brought some of the worst ever.

19:02March had been unseasonably dry with only 27 millimetres of rainfall,

19:07totalling just over 30% of the monthly average.

19:12Come April, Andrew was dismayed to discover a fire had broken out

19:16in the conservation area on Ben Crum.

19:19When we came up to the scene,

19:22the fire was burning more or less out of control.

19:27The flames were approximately five feet high,

19:30going actually against the wind

19:32because the vegetation was so dry.

19:37Fire crews had assembled across the Mons

19:40and with resources stretched,

19:41they called for urgent drone support from Skywatch NI,

19:45a charity that assists the emergency services.

19:48Chief Pilot Paul Trimble was on duty.

19:52So as I was approaching the fire,

19:54there was a small amount of smoke.

19:56Didn't look very significant.

19:58The wind was quite calm.

20:00I wasn't overly concerned.

20:02The fire didn't look very big.

20:04But when Paul launched the drone,

20:06the true skill of the fire was revealed.

20:09We were able to get the drone up to height and to use the camera

20:13and we established at that stage that the fire was on the other side of the mountain.

20:18So the small fire that we were seeing from the ground was only part of the bigger story.

20:23And inside the space of half an hour, it tripled or quadrupled in size.

20:28Ex-fire service group commander Archie McKay worked closely with Paul to get the fires under control.

20:38Fires by their very nature want to move vertically.

20:41As you know, flames go up.

20:43So when a fire comes up against a vertical surface like a hillside and like a steep hillside like what we get in the mornings,

20:50that encourages the fire to move rapidly.

20:54With fires raging right across the mountains, getting firefighters access to put them out was also a challenge.

21:01Andrew led many of them to safe positions.

21:04We had to walk the fire service two miles before we reached the fire.

21:09There was 50 to 60 fire service personnel on the mountain beating the fire out with shovels.

21:17It was a huge task to get it brought under control.

21:21You were only extinguishing areas maybe two to three metres at a time and the fire wall was two miles long.

21:28It was clear livestock in the mountains were in real danger,

21:33so farmers like Brian had to move quick.

21:36Smoke started to poison us, so then we started to worry about the sheep.

21:39We sort of pushed the sheep up us onto higher ground.

21:43Fortunately, the animals remained safe and the fires were eventually brought under control.

21:50It was a long battle to get the fire up, brought under control.

21:54Like it burnt 1,700 acres.

21:57Without the fire service and assistance, it would have just kept on burning.

22:01It took four days to extinguish the fires and the long-term effects on the mountains will be felt for some time.

22:10This habitat has been very badly damaged.

22:14The diversity of plant species is gone.

22:17It sets you back years.

22:20Everything was black like a desert.

22:23I've never seen a fire like it and I wouldn't like to see another one.

22:30Well, to talk more about that now, I am joined by Glenn Cuddy from Ulster Farmers Union.

22:35Glenn, it's interesting this because there's a real problem now with wildfires.

22:39It's been a particularly bad season here, hasn't it?

22:42Yeah, it's very difficult for our farmers to see this happening.

22:47This is not just a business for farmers, is it?

22:50This is also their home?

22:51This is their home, yes.

22:53We were on a farm back in April.

22:56Their farm was only about 100 yards from the fire.

22:59The fire came down and it's right up in their back door.

23:02So, you know, it's already in time for them and this would happen.

23:05There isn't as much livestock in the hills because of different schemes.

23:09If there's less livestock, there'll be more gorse grow.

23:12And remind me, gorse is what?

23:14Well, gorse is basically heather that has grew and grew and grew and not been taken away.

23:20So, the fire can go on, borne over hundreds of acres.

23:23So, there has to be the right amount of livestock there to eat that gorse and keep it controlled.

23:27Because this is fuel for the fires.

23:28Exactly.

23:29So, what is starting the fires in the first place?

23:32Well, you know, for a variety of reasons.

23:35At part of the mornings, we were on with a lot of walkers and I'm not blaming them.

23:40But when you take 60,000 people through that particular area at that time of the year,

23:45people getting off the pass, maybe barbecuing, taking their trays.

23:50And we've seen the rubbish left behind by people.

23:53They shouldn't have been on that part of the hill.

23:55They should have stayed to the pass.

23:57And then that also has a knock-on effect with the sheep.

24:00Because if there's sheep on them hills, the sheep will soon realise that there's people coming past them.

24:06So, the sheep stay out of the way, which means that part of the land then is overgrowing.

24:10Because there are people there and then, you know, they leave rubbish, barbecue stuff or whatever.

24:14That's what causes the fires.

24:15Yes.

24:16So, what can we do then as people who want to enjoy the countryside,

24:19but obviously don't want to cause these fires?

24:22Be responsible on where you walk.

24:25Stick to the pass.

24:26If you have any rubbish with you, take the rubbish home with you.

24:29Certainly no barbecues.

24:31If you bring your dog with you, have him on a lead.

24:34So, leave the countryside as you got it.

24:36Yeah.

24:37It's a simple message, isn't it?

24:38Yeah.

24:39Leave the countryside as you found it.

24:40Yep.

24:41Yeah.

24:42Lovely.

24:43Well, thank you very much.

24:44I appreciate that.

24:45No bother.

24:46Time now to go back to Warwickshire, where farmers have got fly tippers cornered.

24:51So, what happened next?

24:53In Warwickshire, farmers have caught two fly tippers in the act

25:05and they're determined they're not going anywhere without their rubbish.

25:09Farmers have trapped in two vans.

25:11The fly tipped.

25:12Looks like quite a lot.

25:13The farmers were upset that this was going on.

25:16It's an issue that they've had for a very long time.

25:19Why let them get away with it?

25:21You know, we've got a load of rubbish there, dumped, that we've got to sort out.

25:26It's all insulation stuff.

25:28That's all them, sir.

25:30It's all the way along.

25:32We've got to try and get it across to them that it's not the right thing to do.

25:37Dumping rubbish on other people's property and they wouldn't like it on theirs.

25:43Whoever's been dumped all the same.

25:45No, no, no.

25:46It's a criminal offence.

25:47Yeah, I know.

25:48We know it.

25:49The portions were running high and the farmers had no intention of backing down.

25:53From the off, it was very evident that the offenders were not going to be leaving anything at the scene.

25:59They'll clear it.

26:00They're not going anywhere until they've cleared it.

26:02All that down there's yours.

26:03All the black stuff.

26:04Yeah.

26:05Having seen what was in front of us, it was absolutely appalling what these two individuals had done.

26:11What would you do if I came to ask a dump head of **** when you couldn't do it on your front drive?

26:15Yeah.

26:16All the farmers in the area now know your vans as pictures of you both on it.

26:20Desperate to break the farmers and flytippers up, the police ordered the perpetrators to load the rubbish back into their vans.

26:27Officers instructed the two individuals to start moving the items back into their vehicles.

26:32There, turn around.

26:33We're going to load the vans back up.

26:35Get them to load it.

26:38Oh, sweet.

26:39Stop them.

26:40Yeah.

26:41It was a welcome move for the farmers.

26:43We turned them around, escorted them back down the lane.

26:46We got them down to here to Public Road and they arrested them and seized the vans.

26:53So, that was good news.

26:57There were substantial fines incurred and they've had additional costs of having to get their vehicles back out of recovery

27:03because we have seized the vehicles under the Environmental Protection Act.

27:07And there was more good news.

27:09Once word got out, social media sleuths provided further evidence against the men, including this shocking CCTV footage

27:17of the same two men caught in the act on a different farm.

27:22Both men pleaded guilty in court to disposing of waste without a permit

27:26and were handed a 12-month community order, unpaid work and a fine.

27:31Very happy that we caught them and they were sentenced, but they shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

27:37The farmers' determination paid off on this occasion.

27:41But it's worth pointing out that the police don't recommend members of the public confronting fly tippers.

27:47We're paid to deal with confrontation.

27:49We will appropriately.

27:51We don't really want farmers getting into those conflict situations with offenders.

27:55But I do understand why the farmers have taken that action on this occasion.

28:01Well, that's it for this episode.

28:03We've got loads more stories from the heart of UK's rural communities to tell you about.

28:08And if you want more now, then Farm 999 is available on BBC iPlayer.

28:13All right, Claire. See you later.

28:15I'll see you later.

28:17Make sure to be continued...

28:33Transcription by CastingWords

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