ABERGAVENNY’S NOB (Not in Our Backyard) can breathe a sigh of relief after famous farmer Jeremy Clarkson assured them he has no imminent plans for a move to the area.

In last week’s Chronicle, we reported that following in the wake of the surprise relocation of Richard Hammond to the the town, a citizen action group calling itself NOB voiced concerns about an influx of celebrities to Abergavenny.

They were particularly twitchy about the possibility of Hammond’s former Top Gear co-presenter setting up camp in Y-Fenni and feared Clarkson's presence could turn the town into something of a freak show or rural curiosity for hordes of outsiders.

A spokesperson for NOB explained, “Since he (Clarkson) has set up camp at Diddly Squat Farm, Chipping Norton has turned into an absolute circus.

“Imagine if, for instance, he eyes the Abergavenny area as rich for a similar sort of TV special. It would be the absolute ruination of us.”

The story, which was picked up by nationals such as The Sun and The Mirror, who routinely scour the web for regional paper exclusives to piggyback on without so much as a backlink, obviously caught the wandering attention of Clarkson’s beady eye.

And like a true country gent, Jeremy found the time to reassure an angry NOB that he won’t be moving to the Gateway to Wales anytime soon.

Writing in The Sun, Jeremy explained, "Residents in the pretty Welsh town of Abergavenny said this week that after Richard Hammond bought a house in the area, they were 'fearful' that I'd do the same thing. Well, relax, boyos, because why would I want to live near Richard Hammond?”

The ageing petrol head then added for good measure, "The roads are dangerous enough as it is without having to worry about him coming round the corner, on fire and on his roof."

Jeremy's decision to snub the very notion of a move to Abergavenny will come as a grave disappointment to many social media users who gleefully elbowed one another out of the way to express their excitement at the thought of having yet another celebrity on their doorstep.

However, NOB was delighted with the news.

A spokesperson joked, "After the recent news we're thinking of changing our name to SNOB (So Not in our Backyard!)

"Seriously though, I'm pleased our little campaign made national headlines. It just proves the sort of clout and gravitas citizen action groups and an NP7 postcode carry.

"As I mentioned previously, we're more than happy with the likes of Hammond in the area, but when it comes to Jeremy, we feel a hard line had to be drawn.

"For the benefit of the tape, I would like to reiterate that we have nothing personal against Clarkson, but he can come across as quite coarse and outspoken.

"His very presence would have doubtless led to an influx of those damned influencers and other assorted vulgarities striving to be associated with the town.

"In the worst-case scenario, having Clarkson associated with the area could have very well jeopardised our ongoing bid for the 2028 Town of Culture title.

"I dread to think how the judges would have down-marked us!"

The spokesperson added, "I would like to add that Jeremy is naturally welcome to visit Abergavenny any time he likes. Despite appearances, we're a welcoming bunch, just a bit selective, that's all!"