A fourth-generation farming family is in shock after their trusty combine harvester was damaged in the middle of the night and left with a threatening note. 

The Hadrills, of Pangbourne, woke up to find their 40-year-old farming machine had been smashed up overnight on Friday, August 16, in a field next to Bere Court Road. 

John Hadrill, 65, said: “As if farming isn’t hard enough. I came out in the morning and start getting it ready, and then I saw the windows. Two, smashed in with stones. I climbed up into the cab and that’s when I found the note.”

The vandal’s note reads: “Every year Hadrill, you have displayed total disregard and disrespect for people’s property by trashing/damaging hedgerows and verges along roads that are clearly marked as unsuitable for Heavy Goods Vehicles.

“Hopefully this will cure your total disregard and disrespect. If not, more will follow.”

By law, combine harvesters are designated as ‘agricultural engines’.

They are exempt from laws restricting HGVs and may be used on public roads when travelling to and from a place of work.

The field in which the harvester was attacked is only accessible via an entrance on Bere Court Road.

The damages, labour costs and lost earnings are estimated to be around £2,000.

More than the money; the family expressed their loss of peace of mind, saying: “We are scared. That threat is scary.

“The fear it instils … we have kids who are old enough to be helping out with the farming; it makes us fear for them.”

“We are left worrying; what’s next? Will [the vandal] set a fire?”

The Hadrills’ combine harvester is 40-years-old and has served the family annually since it was new.

In a letter to local residents, they wrote: “Parts are rare and almost impossible to obtain due to its age, [the damage] renders the machine unsafe to use at a time when harvesting should be taking place.

The targeted nature of the attack; addressing the family by name, with evident knowledge of the harvester’s overnight location, has led them to believe that the perpetrator lives locally.

Two residents neighbouring the field described seeing some lights near the scene at around 11pm on the night in question.

They described the vandal’s actions as “disgusting.”

The Hadrills’ letter appeals: “We are a 4th generation farming family striving to make a living. We have always been proud of our alliances with both the local farming community and also our friends and neighbours in the surrounding areas.

“If you feel that our gaining access to this field annually causes you problems, we would love to hear from you.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Police on 101.