Jeremy Clarkson's pub opening attracts huge crowds

Clarkson's new venture will sell beers and ciders produced by one of his companies

Hundreds of people queued for hours to be among the first customers at Jeremy Clarkson's new pub on its first day of trading.

The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire, opened to the public at 12:00 BST.

The former Top Gear presenter revealed earlier this year he had paid "less than £1m" for the pub, previously known as The Windmill.

A mammoth operation was put in place to manage traffic, following parking problems following the success of his Diddly Squat farm shop.

Some people queued outside the pub for four hours, eager to be the first through the doors

Clarkson told reporters why he wanted to open the pub.

"We wanted to have that restaurant on the farm last year and we couldn't, and pubs, they are all for sale.

"So, we thought instead of building a restaurant we would buy a pub."

He described getting ready for the opening as "terribly stressful".

"There's just so many things about running a pub you don't think about.

"Yesterday we had the soft opening and someone's managed to smash the lavatory door.

"When you go to a festival and go in the bogs, you think, does your bathroom at home look like this? How can you break a bathroom door?"

The writer and broadcaster was joined by the cast of his hit Amazon TV show Clarkson's Farm for the launch

At the front of the queue were Lauren Hanly and Blake Jones, who had travelled from Gloucester.

Ms Hanly said they wanted to sample the food having previously visited Clarkson's other businesses, the Diddly Squat farm shop and Hawkstone Brewery, which features in his Amazon TV series Clarkson's Farm.

"We got here just before 08:00. We were surprised to be at the front. We thought it would be busier earlier but then the gates weren't opening until 07:30," she said.

"Having Jeremy Clarkson's name on it, it is always going to do well. It is a destination site and people will come from all over, as well as the local community."

Clarkson, closely followed by camera crews, carried produce into the pub ahead of its opening

Clarkson said he was happy the location of his new venture: "We looked at 40 pubs. We needed some very special things like a big car park, a big car park and lots of parking, and no little roads to get to it.

"There's no-one to annoy. It's a good spot."

Discussing The Grand Tour, the series he hosted with Richard Hammond and James May that recently finished filming, he considered if they might visit the pub.

"James probably won't, but Richard will," he said

"I talked to Richard only yesterday. We're mates and we'll still see them."

The interior of The Farmer's Dog has an agicultural theme, including a vintage tractor suspended from a beam

However, he appeared to express some doubt as to whether his new enterprise, which only serve British produce, will be profitable.

"I'm not very good at business plans and I haven't done one," he said.

"I do know this. If I take one of our pigs and we slaughter it and butcher it and we turn it into sausages and we sell it here, it costs us 74p.

"If I buy imported pig meat it is 18p. So, something is wrong with the food system in this country."

Clarkson has said he plans to sell his own Hawkstone beers and ciders as well as produce reared on his nearby farm at the pub.

The Grand Tour tent has been erected in the pub grounds

The TV star has faced pushback over the years from locals in West Oxfordshire as he tried to expand his Diddly Squat farm project.

Some residents also expressed concerns about traffic problems because the pub is located next to the busy A40 road.

But Oxfordshire County Council said it had worked "closely and pro-actively" with Clarkson's team ahead of the opening.

"Several measures have been taken to reduce the likelihood of traffic and parking-related problems, and to support the safe and successful opening of the site," a council spokesman said.

Clarkson even posted on social media to thank the authority for its help.

Motorists are being asked to only use designated off-highway car parks and not park on the roads or verges nearby.