Feud may force inventor to leave (From Bucks Free Press)

Feud may force inventor to leave

11:43am Tuesday 3rd May 2005 in News By James Webb

A WACKY inventor from Marlow Bottom may quit the village amid fears that he is the victim of a hate campaign after his house was vandalised.

Lyndon Yorke named Britain's most eccentric man was dismayed to find a World War Two gun turret, which had adorned the roof of his garage, smashed on the ground.

Just three days earlier, the 55-year-old had received an anonymous letter claiming to speak on behalf of neighbouring residents, which asked him to remove the aircraft memorabilia because it was causing house prices to plummet.

Mr Yorke, of Andrews Way, said: "I cannot believe someone could do this.

"I am really angry that mindless thugs have torn up my gun turret and hurled it over the back of my house, completely wrecking it."

Mr Yorke had gone out on Saturday, April 23, and returned to find the rare item, worth hundreds of pounds, in pieces.

He added: "I've had the gun turret mounted on my garage roof for about two years. It was a great conversation piece and often admired by passers-by."

The unsigned note, which Mr Yorke received on the Wednesday before the incident, talks of the gun turret and its rotating light equipment, as being "an eyesore that has a detrimental effect on our environs and on the value of our homes."

Mr Yorke said nobody had verbally asked him to remove the gun turret permanently.

He said: "I believe it was done deliberately and not kids just passing by."

The aerial surveyor, crowned Britain's most eccentric man in a Kellogg's Fruit and Nut competition in 2001, is best-known for producing weird mechanical devices.

His devices include the Tritanic an amphibious Edwardian tricycle which he uses on the River Thames and a wicker car.

Sadly, Marlow Bottom's second most famous resident after Sir Steve Redgrave, is now considering moving after 14 years.

He said: "I love it here and don't want to go, but I fear for my future security.

"I suppose this means whoever has done this has won, but I have to consider my safety."

Neighbour Cath Duncan condemned the perpetrators.

She said: "We think it's very sad. Lyndon is a fantastic neighbour. We don't want him to go. We've no idea who did this terrible act of vandalism.

"The letter is nothing to do with us. We are the ones who would be most effected by the gun turret because we live opposite."