Jeremy Clarkson’s missing sheep were not stolen from Diddly Squat Farm after all – with police confirming an accidental miscount sparked the probe.
The alleged theft attracted national attention after 11 sheep were believed to have disappeared from the TV presenter’s farm near Chadlington, Oxfordshire.
Thames Valley Police received a report on 2 September and launched enquiries into the suspected livestock theft.
Clarkson, 66, had reportedly discovered the animals were missing while counting his flock with Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper, according to The Sun.
At the time, the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter appealed for whoever was responsible to return the animals.
He told The Sun that the sheep were worth more than £2,000 at market and raised concerns that animals in other fields could also have been taken.
But police have now confirmed there was no theft – and every sheep has been accounted for.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: “Following enquiries into a reported sheep theft near Chadlington, reported on 2 September, it has been confirmed that no sheep were stolen.
“An accidental miscount was behind the report, and all sheep have now been accounted for.”
Diddly Squat Farm has become internationally known through the Amazon Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, which follows Clarkson’s attempts to run the Oxfordshire farm.
The original report prompted significant media coverage, but the police update means there is no longer believed to have been any criminality involved.
