A Whelford farmer says she reported three suspicious vans near RAF Fairford at about 1:30am and called 999 at 1:36am, but the village was not evacuated until around 6:00am after five men were arrested. Evacuees were taken to a leisure centre in Cirencester and later housed in hotels, many criticising the delay and poor communication. Police say they responded to calls at 12:45am; the Defence Secretary thanked the resident but said she had only a partial picture.
‘They Left Us Sitting Ducks’: Farmer Says Police Took Four Hours To Evacuate Village After RAF Fairford Bomb Scare
Armed police manned road blocks and security checks around RAF Fairford on Monday - Leon Neal/Getty Images
A Whelford farmer who raised the alarm after spotting three suspicious vans near RAF Fairford says police took more than four hours to evacuate her village after five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences. The farmer — who encountered the group while driving home from a party — told reporters she called 999 at 1:36am after first seeing the vans at about 1:30am and that no one from police has contacted her for a formal statement.
Timeline and Local Concerns
Residents say the three vans were parked roughly 400 metres from the Gloucestershire air base, a key European outpost used by the US Air Force. The farmer said she first tried to call the Ministry of Defence Police, received no answer, and then dialled 999. She claims police did not evacuate Whelford until around 6:00am, leaving villagers feeling exposed while officers contained the scene nearby.
A resident photographed the five shirtless suspects after police arrested them
"Following my call at 1.36am, the police were aware of the presence of the three vans, but didn't evacuate the village until 6am," the farmer said.
Evacuation and Resident Response
Evacuated residents were taken to a leisure centre in Cirencester and later put up in local hotels. Many complained about the delay, limited information from authorities and the disruption to work and daily life; several said they were still in the clothes they had been wearing the previous day.
"What I'm really struggling to understand is why they left us in our homes for four and a half hours after they nabbed the culprits. If there were other suspects, we were just left as sitting ducks while they were on the loose," said one evacuee.
Others described unusual activity near the base in the days before the arrests, including civilian staff being excused from shifts and vehicles parked along fence lines.
An armoured vehicle patrols the perimeter of RAF Fairford on Monday - AFP/Ben Stanstall
Official Statements and Context
At a press conference, police said officers had responded to calls about suspicious vehicles at 12:45am. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the Whelford resident for raising the alarm but cautioned that she had only a "partial picture" of the operation. Gloucestershire Police has been approached for comment.
Authorities are understood to be investigating a possible state link; earlier this year Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that bases used to launch operations in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets." Former US President Donald Trump later suggested US authorities had been monitoring a suspected plot.
Local photographs show five suspects handcuffed and shirtless on the ground, surrounded by armed officers. Investigations remain ongoing.
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