North Devon farmer fined for ploughing "historically important" fields
He was ordered to pay over £30,000, after working on the fields linked to prehistoric and second world war periods
A North Devon farmer has been fined £31,500 for ploughing in historically important fields linked to prehistoric and second world war periods.
Andrew Cooper, of Croyde Hoe Farm in Braunton, was ordered to stop ploughing the National Trust-owned land in 2017.
However, he ignored the stop notice, and continued to plough until March 2018.
The fields, on the Baggy Point headland, on the North Devon coast, have been linked to the Mesolithic and Neolithic eras, after flint artefacts were found.
They were also used as training grounds by American Forces, during the Second World War.
Dawn Enright of Natural England said: “The historic environment is a finite, non-renewable resource. Once it is lost it is gone forever. It cannot be recreated.
“Impacts from cultivation are irreversible and over time may lead to the complete removal of archaeological remains and the significant displacement of remains such as flint tools.”
Bill Horner, county archaeologist of Devon County Council, said: “The making of stone tools by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers over a long period makes this a particularly important archaeological site. It marks the start of a continuous human presence in Devon after the ice ages.
“While we regret that the agencies involved, despite their best efforts, were left with no option but to take legal action, we are pleased that the outcome recognises the harm that was being done to this rare and important part of our national heritage.”
Mr Cooper pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court on 7 April 2021 to breaching the Stop Notice. He was fined £7,500 with five months’ imprisonment in default of payment and ordered to pay £24,000 costs at Exeter Crown Court on 21 June 2021.