Barleylands 20ft scarecrow torched by arsonists

7:00am Wednesday 27th February 2013 in Local News

Barleylands farm park manager Dave Finkle where the scarecrow once stood Barleylands farm park manager Dave Finkle where the scarecrow once stood

ARSONISTS reduced a supersized scarecrow to a pile of ash after it was deliberately set on fire twice in one night.

The 20ft scarecrow, which had been a "huge talking point" when it was put up at Barleylands Farm in Billericay last week, was constructed by Dave Finkle, farm park manager, and three other workers to tie in with a scarecrow making competition during half term.

But it has now been reduced to cinders leaving staff and children devastated.

Mr Finkle said: “Whoever it was was determined to finish the job. There was nothing left and the pole it was attached to was blackened.

“As adults we are disappointed but we are resilient, it’s the children I feel sorry for, it’s ruined their fun.

“It generated some great entertainment and it’s just a desperate shame something fun and interesting has been vandalised and ruined.”

Fire crews were called to the farm twice, first at about 11.30pm and then again just after midnight last Thursday, February 21.

It had taken staff half a day to get it into position using a forklift truck and mini digger and was made using half a dozen shirts, 20 metres of hessian, ten bales of straw and a telegraph pole.

An Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed both fires were started deliberately and police are investigating.

Any witnesses or anyone with information can contact Essex Police on 101.

Comments (13)

8:15am Wed 27 Feb 13

Soouthchurch59 says...

Police are looking for a hooded crow!
Police are looking for a hooded crow! Soouthchurch59

9:00am Wed 27 Feb 13

al coniston says...

'......leaving staff and children devastated'

oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died

any real news stories about today ?
'......leaving staff and children devastated' oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died any real news stories about today ? al coniston

1:02pm Wed 27 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh says...

al coniston wrote:
'......leaving staff and children devastated'

oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died

any real news stories about today ?
If you spent time and effort on making something that gave enjoyment to some and some pr**k came and torched it you wouldn't be too chuffed would you.
[quote][p][bold]al coniston[/bold] wrote: '......leaving staff and children devastated' oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died any real news stories about today ?[/p][/quote]If you spent time and effort on making something that gave enjoyment to some and some pr**k came and torched it you wouldn't be too chuffed would you. DogsMessInLeigh

1:27pm Wed 27 Feb 13

al coniston says...

DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
al coniston wrote:
'......leaving staff and children devastated'

oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died

any real news stories about today ?
If you spent time and effort on making something that gave enjoyment to some and some pr**k came and torched it you wouldn't be too chuffed would you.
i don't think it would leave me 'devastated'

If someone is devastated at the loss of a scarecrow then i think they have some real issues to deal with
[quote][p][bold]DogsMessInLeigh[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]al coniston[/bold] wrote: '......leaving staff and children devastated' oh get a grip . . . it's an object, not a real person - nobody has died any real news stories about today ?[/p][/quote]If you spent time and effort on making something that gave enjoyment to some and some pr**k came and torched it you wouldn't be too chuffed would you.[/p][/quote]i don't think it would leave me 'devastated' If someone is devastated at the loss of a scarecrow then i think they have some real issues to deal with al coniston

2:40pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Carnabackable says...

Should have made it from steel netting and chicken wire, covered with paper, waterproofed, thus if set alight, just recover....
Should have made it from steel netting and chicken wire, covered with paper, waterproofed, thus if set alight, just recover.... Carnabackable

2:42pm Wed 27 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh says...

Its the time and effort that people took to make it for a competition during half term, it wasn't just 2 broom handles with and old jacket on and a turnip for a face....what signal does it send out to the children who took part, At least they was not out on the streets spraying the walls and making a nuisance of themselves at half term.

so make something nice for your front garden for the local kids at half term..get them involved and leave it to get vandalised or burnt down....see what your real feelings would be.

Just picture the scene......

"It had taken Al Coniston half a day to get it into position using a forklift truck and mini digger and was made using half a dozen shirts, 20 metres of hessian, ten bales of straw and a telegraph pole"

(99% of the quote taken from the report)
Its the time and effort that people took to make it for a competition during half term, it wasn't just 2 broom handles with and old jacket on and a turnip for a face....what signal does it send out to the children who took part, At least they was not out on the streets spraying the walls and making a nuisance of themselves at half term. so make something nice for your front garden for the local kids at half term..get them involved and leave it to get vandalised or burnt down....see what your real feelings would be. Just picture the scene...... "It had taken Al Coniston half a day to get it into position using a forklift truck and mini digger and was made using half a dozen shirts, 20 metres of hessian, ten bales of straw and a telegraph pole" (99% of the quote taken from the report) DogsMessInLeigh

3:45pm Wed 27 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh says...

"just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax.

At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.
"just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax. At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him. DogsMessInLeigh

5:43pm Wed 27 Feb 13

al coniston says...

DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
"just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax.

At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.
Oh the irony, you clearly have too much time on your hands and need to get out more.

Look up the word 'devastated' and educate yourself.
[quote][p][bold]DogsMessInLeigh[/bold] wrote: "just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax. At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.[/p][/quote]Oh the irony, you clearly have too much time on your hands and need to get out more. Look up the word 'devastated' and educate yourself. al coniston

6:22pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Chris Flunk says...

I'm surprised there is no mention of the numerous complaints made about the scarecrow by local christian groups.

One enraged local said the scarecrow's messianic pose was "incredibly distasteful" and "making a mockery out of my religion".

Can't help thinking there may be some correlation with the scarecrow's unfortunate demise.
I'm surprised there is no mention of the numerous complaints made about the scarecrow by local christian groups. One enraged local said the scarecrow's messianic pose was "incredibly distasteful" and "making a mockery out of my religion". Can't help thinking there may be some correlation with the scarecrow's unfortunate demise. Chris Flunk

6:48pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Saxonpride says...

Typical chav behaviour.
Look for any white kids milling around who try to speak like fictional black gangsters from American movies.
Chances are they did it, they ALWAYS do stuff like this.
Petty vandalism is about all they're good for, being the lowest, more puerile excuses for human life that ever slithered out of a woman.
Typical chav behaviour. Look for any white kids milling around who try to speak like fictional black gangsters from American movies. Chances are they did it, they ALWAYS do stuff like this. Petty vandalism is about all they're good for, being the lowest, more puerile excuses for human life that ever slithered out of a woman. Saxonpride

7:22pm Wed 27 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh says...

al coniston wrote:
DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
"just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax.

At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.
Oh the irony, you clearly have too much time on your hands and need to get out more.

Look up the word 'devastated' and educate yourself.
Cheer up Al.
[quote][p][bold]al coniston[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]DogsMessInLeigh[/bold] wrote: "just after midnight someone set it on fire, twice infact and it burnt to the ground" said Al Coniston via Fax. At the scene amongst the charred remains of Al's Mega Scarecrow our intrepid Echo reporter Walter Melon asked how he felt about such an act..... " it don't matter no one died no harm done and its not even news what are you even doing here ? anyway i don't care i am off indoors to watch Eastenders"....he said and shut the door behind him.[/p][/quote]Oh the irony, you clearly have too much time on your hands and need to get out more. Look up the word 'devastated' and educate yourself.[/p][/quote]Cheer up Al. DogsMessInLeigh

5:51pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Cosmo Spring says...

maybe someone thought it was an effigy of Tony Ball
maybe someone thought it was an effigy of Tony Ball Cosmo Spring

12:03pm Fri 1 Mar 13

runwellian says...

Whatever anyone has today, someone else wants to destroy it, steal it, sell it etc.

they would steal your house if they could get it on the back of a lorry, sign of the times, as for the loss of the scarecrow, not the most mind blowing event, but instead of building a useless piece of art, why not try producing something that would benefit others?
Whatever anyone has today, someone else wants to destroy it, steal it, sell it etc. they would steal your house if they could get it on the back of a lorry, sign of the times, as for the loss of the scarecrow, not the most mind blowing event, but instead of building a useless piece of art, why not try producing something that would benefit others? runwellian

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