With its stone cottages, Victorian church and cozy pubs, Marston Meysey (population 220) is a village on the edge of the Cotswolds with quaint charm and a laid-back air.
It’s a place where everyone knows everyone else and is happy to help everyone else. The upcoming trivia night at local pub The Old Spotted Cow is even being promoted as “pretty simple”. In this sleepy, beautiful, friendly little corner of the Wiltshire countryside, harmony seems to prevail.
Or at least it was, until an influx of plane spotters brought “chaos” to the tight-knit community, clogging the roads with their cars and answering nature’s call in the bush. These villagers, who were usually calm and polite, didn’t like it very much.
The problems began earlier this month after the government agreed to let the United States Air Force (USAF) use RAF Fairford, a short walk from Marston Massey, as a base for “defensive operations” against Iran.
This caused great excitement in the aircraft observation community because it provided the opportunity to view and photograph B-1 and B-52 long-range bombers from the air after takeoff or as they landed. Hundreds of their kind flock there from across the UK and abroad to catch a glimpse of the powerful warplanes in action.
“We’re a very small village,” charity worker Kirsty Payne, 57, said (accompanied by her 14-year-old dachshund Coco) as she showed me around Marston Meysey, where about 60 houses line the village’s only road (about half a mile long, called the Street).
“Generally speaking, it’s a very, very nice place to live. We’re used to airplane spotters or airplane enthusiasts (as they prefer to be called airplane enthusiasts) coming to our place because we’re so close to the Air Force base. But there aren’t many. We’re getting swamped.
Influx of plane spotters causes stir in sleepy Wiltshire village – David Rose for the Telegraph
“The village is usually a two-way street,” she added, “but so many cars were parked along the way that it became a one-way street. Ambulances couldn’t get through and couldn’t turn around, which led to complete traffic chaos. The village was paralyzed.”
“Most plane spotters are polite and most don’t really engage with the local community. But the few inconsiderate ones make life miserable. One woman was coming out of her home with her children and her driveway was blocked and when she asked the driver if he minded taking the car away she was verbally abused and cursed at.”
We met Carol Locke, 69, who has lived in the village for 22 years. “The parking situation today is not bad but at times it is terrible: you can’t move or get in and out of the village for the plane spotters… they are everywhere,” she said.
The area where the aircraft spotters went was on a track that extended from the top of the street. They have direct access to the chain-link fence surrounding the air base.
Camping chairs are a must-have for plane spotters waiting for hours for their next takeoff – David Rose for the Telegraph
RAF Fairford is located on the border of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Gloucestershire authorities have closed other roads around the airbase to “address safety and access issues” after the area first became popular with those keen to spot the aircraft. Residents of Marston Massey, near Swindon, which is under Wiltshire control, questioned why their village had not taken the same measures.
One of them is villager Roger Baskerville, 62, a director at a software company and an aviation enthusiast himself: “If it’s a weekend, or if the plane spotters know there’s a big takeoff or landing, there are hundreds of planes coming down. It’s very frustrating. People live in villages because they don’t want congestion. We need some kind of emergency traffic restrictions when we’re on missions.”
Roger Baskerville and his Springbok Ginny (not the hound, unfortunately) – David Ross for The Daily Telegraph
After a short walk from Payne’s home, parts of which date from 1844, to Baskerville’s house, Payne took us to meet Dave James, another concerned villager.
The 71-year-old retired car parts dealer said: “The plane spotters – I call them rubber banders – know this is the place to be and are using our village as a free car park. “It’s dangerous, it causes havoc and we seem to be Wiltshire’s lost community. It’s a nightmare, a complete nightmare.”
Wiltshire Council said police had a duty to ensure motorways were safe and officers had “issued warnings where appropriate” last weekend. It also urged residents to report vehicles that cause obstruction or pose a safety risk to police.
Green privacy screens hang from the chain-link fence surrounding the site. But that didn’t deter people: Plane observers brought ladders with them so they could peek from the top to see what was going on and take photos. But they said they were happy to follow the rules, which included not taking photos of U.S. Air Force personnel. The Air Force said it continuously evaluates “a variety of factors that determine what measures we take or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”
The number of visitors to the base itself poses additional problems: “the disgusting health hazards posed by human waste” is how Payne, who has lived at Marston Massey for 19 years, describes it. “There are no toilet facilities there. They’re there all day long. So the hedges and fields are used as toilets. Wildlife and the environment are affected. We can’t walk dogs at the moment because there are reports of human waste and toilet paper. When I was there a few days ago we found a pair of men’s dirty trousers on the edge.”
Charity worker Kirsty Payne says the tiny village of just 60 houses is being “swamped” – David Rose for the Telegraph
When we visited on a sunny weekday around noon, at least 30 cars were parked along the driveway leading to the fenced air base. Villagers said the situation was “ten times worse” at weekends when the car park was extended across the village.
(Insp Scott Angle and a police officer from Wiltshire Police turned up in the morning “to conduct an assessment” and said they had “no concerns at the moment”.)
The excitement among aircraft observers was palpable. One described it as an “unprecedented opportunity to see live combat missions being prepared and taken off” and was pleased to see the bombers “being used for the purpose for which they were designed”.
“Me coming here doesn’t necessarily mean that I support what these planes are doing, but – how do I describe it? – it’s like you’re a football fan and your team draws with Manchester United in the cup,” said the enthusiast, who asked not to be named.
Events in Iran create unique opportunity for UK aircraft watchers – David Ross
Retired electrician Colin Jenkins, 81, woke up at 5am and drove from Bristol with his son Mark Jenkins, 54, an interior decorator. They were happy to arrive in time to see two B-1s taking off around 8am. “You don’t see these aircraft very often. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Colin said.
“I’m fascinated by these bombers because they are bigger and louder than any other bomber and are incredible feats of engineering,” Mark added. “We’re praying there will be some B-52s in the future.”
Many aircraft spotters are equipped with aviation belt scanners. “They can help understand when something happened because you might hear some conversation between the control tower and a specific aircraft, maybe asking for a flight plan or permission to start an engine, but sometimes it’s hard to know which aircraft they’re talking to,” Mark said.
B-52 bombers at RAF Fairford, UK – Leon Neal/Getty Images
“You can’t do this anywhere else in the world,” said another enthusiast in his 60s, “so it’s no surprise that those of us with this special interest gather here. There are Dutch, French, Spanish, people who drive all the way from Scotland.
“Frankly, when you see one of these heavy strategic bombers taking off with a full load of fuel and bombs, what you see and hear happens – the ground is shaking.”
Some aircraft spotters sat in camp chairs as they awaited hopefully more action in the afternoon. Others lay on the ground napping in the sun.
Chris, 59, a mechanical and electrical engineer from Birmingham, said he understood the villagers’ concerns but insisted “most plane spotters were respectful” and “courteous” about toilet arrangements.
Meanwhile Andy Kenyon, 61, a retired accountant from Stratford-upon-Avon with more than 30 years’ experience as an aircraft observer, believes the problem is not caused by “real enthusiasts”.
Respectfully parked Andy Kenyon says chaos in village was not caused by ‘real’ plane enthusiasts – David Rose for the Telegraph
“People will come down and look and take pictures with their phones because they heard about the plane taking off on social media,” he said.
“They don’t know one aircraft from another. They don’t know not to film air base personnel, and we know you just don’t do that. It gives those of us who are real enthusiasts a bad name and does a disservice to everyone – and means the authorities are more likely to shut it down.”
Unless that happens, or the war ends soon, the villagers of Marston Massey may face more suffering before the peace and tranquility they cherish can finally be restored.
Try full access to The Telegraph for free now. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus helpful tools and expert guidance on your money, health and holidays.
