Legal Claim Filed After Visitor Suffers Serious Injuries at Jeremy Clarkson’s Farmer’s Dog Pub

Jeremy Clarkson is facing a legal claim after a visitor suffered significant injuries in the car park of his Cotswolds pub, the Farmer’s Dog.

Elizabeth Palmby, 68, from Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, alleges she broke ribs and required hand surgery after tripping on temporary metal sheets laid across muddy ground in the pub’s field car park. The sheets had reportedly been installed following heavy rainfall to prevent vehicles from becoming stuck.

Ms Palmby and her husband had travelled more than three hours in November to visit Diddly Squat Farm before dining at the pub the next day. She said persistent rain had left the parking area saturated, with aluminium trackway panels placed over the mud. According to her account, the sheets were not fixed down and would shift or rise slightly as cars passed over them.

While walking back to her vehicle carrying two boxes of eggs purchased as gifts, she says she caught her foot on the edge of one raised panel and fell forward. She landed heavily, smashing the eggs beneath her and instinctively putting out her hand to break the fall. She later reported severe pain in her chest and difficulty breathing.

At hospital, scans revealed broken ribs. Medical staff also identified a deep laceration to her hand, initially obscured by mud. She later underwent surgery after doctors discovered small metal fragments embedded in the wound, believed to have come from the car park covering. Surgeons reconstructed the injury and closed the cut with multiple stitches.

Ms Palmby said the incident left her with a permanent jagged scar and ongoing discomfort. She reported the accident to pub staff at the time and completed an entry in the accident book. After returning home, she revisited the venue to assess whether safety improvements had been introduced, but claims conditions remained unchanged and no warning signage had been installed.

She has since instructed solicitors to pursue a compensation claim, arguing that the surface presented a foreseeable hazard to visitors. A representative acting on her behalf said operators of hospitality venues have a responsibility to ensure that both indoor and outdoor areas are safe.

West Oxfordshire District Council has granted planning permission for a permanent hard-surfaced car park. However, work cannot begin until a detailed drainage scheme is submitted and approved. In the meantime, temporary metal coverings continue to be used during wet conditions.

Clarkson purchased and renovated the pub, formerly known as The Windmill, before reopening it in April 2024 as the Farmer’s Dog, drawing large numbers of visitors linked to the popularity of Diddly Squat Farm and Clarkson’s Farm. He has not publicly commented on the legal proceedings.