A FARMER who was threatened with prosecution over a sign on his land is hailing "a victory for common sense" after the charges against him were dropped.

Carl Powell, from Stone Arrow Farm in Peopleton, had been charged with a public order offence over the sign, which was put up after a planning row.

On the board, which was installed on a silo at the farm, Mr Powell called the village a "lawless and godforsaken" place, accusing it of being the "nastiest place in Worcestershire."

Now though, after a lengthy row, the charges against him have been dropped.

Mr Powell said: "I have just received a letter from the courts saying the case is being discontinued due to a lack of evidence.

"It seems like there has finally been a bit of common sense applied, so I am very relieved."

The 75 year-old had been charged after residents complained about the sign, and rather than pay the fine, he decided to take the case to court.

He had been due to appear in court in Worcester in August, but this was delayed, with a provisional date set for October 15.

Inbetween then and now, Mr Powell said he received a letter informing him of an unpaid fine, despite his never being convicted.

He said an enforcement officer arrived at his farm with a notice to repossess some of his belongings to pay for the fine.

He added: "The whole affair with the enforcement officer caused me a bit of aggravation, so I might decide to appeal against that for compensation.

"I think I will wait a bit though to give it a think."

West Mercia Police confirmed the enforcement action had been taken by mistake and that they had cancelled it.

A spokesman told us earlier this week: "The officer involved has confirmed he spoke with Mr Powell, discovered an admin error with the debt collector and the non-payment was deleted."

Mr Powell first appeared in court over the issue in July, where he was told he could not bring his sign in with him.

His case was further delayed in August when the officer investigating went on annual leave.