FARMLAND in Powys that was left littered with debris after it was used as a location for filming a television show has been miraculously cleared up.

Producers of The Grand Tour – which stars former Top Gear icons Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May – attracted criticism last week when footage emerged on social media of farmland near the village of Beulah that they used for filming scattered with debris of smashed up pieces of cars.

A video was posted to Twitter on April 26 by local resident Mark Easthope, via his @bluejumperman Twitter account. In the 30-second clip, wing mirrors, bumpers, headlights and other pieces of vehicles used in the filming could be seen strewn around a field belong to a local farmer; the land is part of a public bridleway. In his video, Mark tagged the programme, suggesting they could have done a better job at cleaning up the Powys countryside.

And Andy Wilman, executive producer of The Grand Tour, agreed, saying the remaining debris was a mistake on their part rather than a “cavalier attitude” to the Powys countryside, and he apologised to local walkers and residents.

During his Sunday stroll on May 16, however, Mark posted another video to Twitter, pleasantly surprised by the fact that someone had been to clear the rubbish since his last visit, with only minimal bits of rubbish remaining.

Mark tweeted: “Thank you to #AndyWilman and @thegrandtour for taking responsibility and apologising.

“After my walk today I'm glad to report that this has now been cleared up, so again #ThankYou.”

Former Top Gear icons Clarkson, Hammond and May spent time on location in Mid Wales last month. They stayed at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells and were spotted across Brecon and Radnorshire throughout the final week of April.

In response to Mark’s original video, Andy – who created the show along with Clarkson, Hammond and May and also produced BBC’s Top Gear when they were on it from 2002-15 – said: “I wouldn’t want anyone to think we’re litter louts who just come to the countryside and use it as a playground, because we absolutely don’t do that.

“It happened on our watch. It wasn’t our policy to turn our backs on whatever we do. We had a system in place, in cooperation with the landowner, and it was a mistake rather than a cavalier attitude.

“Even though it was a genuine oversight and not an act of disregard for our surroundings, he (Mr Easthope) was right to kick off.”

The crew have been all over the world filming the show since it first aired in 2016, including Madagascar, Cambodia and Lapland, but they decided to stay a little closer to home during the coronavirus pandemic due to not being able to fly off to their usual exotic locations. And while places like Crickhowell and Beulah may not quite be Timbuktu, Nepal and Bangladesh – where they were due to go this year – Andy said the UK won’t be matched for beauty.

One of the UK specials, filmed in Scotland, is due for release this summer and the one filmed in England and Wales is likely to feature around Christmas time. The Grand Tour is in its fourth season and is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.