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UK village on lockdown as US Vice President JD Vance's holiday sparks fury
The US Vice President is headed to the Cotswolds' idyllic Dean in Oxfordshire, where the entire village has been locked down - leaving residents disgruntled over road closures, sniffer dogs, ID checks and a constant security presence
Residents in the picturesque Cotswolds have compared the security lockdown surrounding US Vice President JD Vance's vacation to a scene from "Men in Black" - as roads, footpaths, and village lanes in and out of Dean hamlet are cordoned off.
The US Vice President is set to visit the idyllic Oxfordshire village, which has been placed under an intense lockdown - causing frustration among locals over road closures, sniffer dogs, ID checks, and a persistent security presence.
All entry points to the village - comprising two roads and three public footpaths - have been blocked off, with a significant police and US Secret Service presence stationed at a large marquee.
Only residents of the hamlet are permitted to enter and exit, dog walkers are being diverted, and those entering are subject to car searches by security personnel. Many locals are hesitant to discuss the visit due to security concerns.
Councillor Andy Graham, representing the neighbouring village of Charlbury, likened the scene to Men in Black, describing guards clad in black suits and sunglasses patrolling the lanes.
He remarked: "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. We understand that people do need security but I think they haven't been discreet about it. And I think that tends to generate more concern than is necessary. Roads have been closed up."
Local resident Mr Graham, who's called the area home for 11 years, branded the scale of the operation as "intimidatory" and questioned the allocation 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 voiced his concerns.
"I'm disappointed that the authorities didn't keep me in the loop. I was aware of the holiday but I wasn't told how long it was going to be. I don't need the details because they can't do that but giving us a bit more of a steer so that I could reassure my constituents a bit more would have been good.
"I'm just a bit miffed about it I suppose. 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."
Over in the nearby village of Chadlington, one woman labelled the high security a "waste of resources". "To be honest it's the cost of it, the cost of the police, it's obviously impacting Thames Valley and therefore everyone," she expressed her frustration.
"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-standing Chadlington resident commented that 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 stated.
"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.
"The traffic is unbelievable. The road block is bad, just this morning coming down ,my road the traffic was ridiculous. I was trying to reverse out and it was all blocked up. And it's so narrow here."
Daily Star Sunday
The US Vice President is headed to the Cotswolds' idyllic Dean in Oxfordshire, where the entire village has been locked down - leaving residents disgruntled over road closures, sniffer dogs, ID checks and a constant security presence
Residents in the picturesque Cotswolds have compared the security lockdown surrounding US Vice President JD Vance's vacation to a scene from "Men in Black" - as roads, footpaths, and village lanes in and out of Dean hamlet are cordoned off.
The US Vice President is set to visit the idyllic Oxfordshire village, which has been placed under an intense lockdown - causing frustration among locals over road closures, sniffer dogs, ID checks, and a persistent security presence.
All entry points to the village - comprising two roads and three public footpaths - have been blocked off, with a significant police and US Secret Service presence stationed at a large marquee.
Only residents of the hamlet are permitted to enter and exit, dog walkers are being diverted, and those entering are subject to car searches by security personnel. Many locals are hesitant to discuss the visit due to security concerns.
Councillor Andy Graham, representing the neighbouring village of Charlbury, likened the scene to Men in Black, describing guards clad in black suits and sunglasses patrolling the lanes.
He remarked: "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. We understand that people do need security but I think they haven't been discreet about it. And I think that tends to generate more concern than is necessary. Roads have been closed up."
Local resident Mr Graham, who's called the area home for 11 years, branded the scale of the operation as "intimidatory" and questioned the allocation 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 voiced his concerns.
"I'm disappointed that the authorities didn't keep me in the loop. I was aware of the holiday but I wasn't told how long it was going to be. I don't need the details because they can't do that but giving us a bit more of a steer so that I could reassure my constituents a bit more would have been good.
"I'm just a bit miffed about it I suppose. 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."
Over in the nearby village of Chadlington, one woman labelled the high security a "waste of resources". "To be honest it's the cost of it, the cost of the police, it's obviously impacting Thames Valley and therefore everyone," she expressed her frustration.
"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-standing Chadlington resident commented that 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 stated.
"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.
"The traffic is unbelievable. The road block is bad, just this morning coming down ,my road the traffic was ridiculous. I was trying to reverse out and it was all blocked up. And it's so narrow here."
Daily Star Sunday