Multi-millionaire John Price, a mixed farmer from Herefordshire, finds himself back in court after being imprisoned last year for dredging the River Lugg.

Pleading guilty on Wednesday, January 31, the 69-year-old farmer from Leominster admitted to illegally felling a significant area of woodland, some trees dating back around 50 years.

Forestry Commission agents were alerted to the situation in February 2022 when reports surfaced of men with heavy machinery clearing woodland near Ryelands Farm in Ludlow.

Despite claiming to work on Mr. Price's behalf, the workers denied knowledge of requiring a license to fell trees.

Failing to respond to letters from the Forestry Commission, it was discovered that Price was already in prison for illegally clearing land near the River Lugg in Hereford.

In April 2023, he was sentenced to 10 months in jail and heavily fined for that offense, with the sentence later reduced on appeal.

Appearing before magistrates in Hereford on 31 January 2024, Price received a fine of £1,750 and must pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of £135 and a victim surcharge of £175.

Price claimed he had instructed the workmen to "coppice" the trees, a legal process aimed at stimulating growth by cutting trees back to ground level, but the court rejected this explanation.

Senior crown prosecutor, George Ward criticised Price, highlighting that despite earning a living from the land, Price showed little regard for it, having broken the law on multiple occasions.

Ward highlighted that in this latest case, the CPS successfully argued in court that coppicing wouldn't require the heavy machinery found on-site, indicating Price's actions as deforestation.

The CPS collaborates with agencies such as the Forestry Commission and the police to uphold laws governing the care of agricultural and recreational land.