Friday, May 25, 2007

Killed by a wind farm? by VICTORIA MOORE and NICK CRAVEN

Herbert was one of a consortium of 14 farmers who had hoped to lease some of their land to a renewable energy firm, to build a £40million wind farm of up to 26 turbines around this fenland village.

The idea met virulent opposition from the locals and - amid claims of intimidation, menacing poison pen letters and an ominous act of vandalism - earlier this month, half of the farmers who made up the consortium abruptly withdrew their support.

Herbert was one of the seven who remained, and, in a statement issued this week, his family claimed the unbearable pressure was a contributing factor to his death.

"In recent months Richard's health had created cause for concern," they said. "He had commenced treatment at the Fermoy Unit, Kings Lynn [a mental health unit].

"Anxieties relating to the decline of farming, coupled with opposition to a wind turbine farm and personal matters are believed to be behind his recent out-of-character behaviour."

But one local, who asked not to be named, said the reaction of one antiwind individual to the discovery of Herbert's body was extreme. "This is war," he is rumoured to have said, "and Richard Herbert is the first casualty."

(Click to read entire article)

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