A former nurse paid £2bn by the Government for PPE gear has been accused of 'riding roughshod' over a Bedfordshire village with her plans for new stables.
Pandemic tycoon Sarah Stoute, 49, had already caused controversy when she bought a £30m Caribbean holiday villa with huge profits made during the COVID pandemic.
Neighbours of an equestrian centre which she bought for £10m in Keysoe are said to be horrified by her application to erect 411 stables near thatched cottages and a medieval church.
Bedford borough councillor Tom Wootton, claimed there was a 'climate of fear', adding that 411 stables was 'too much'. He said: 'There aren't that many even for nationally famous big events.'
Villagers complain that the application was retrospective, with hundreds of stables already installed, fields dug out and some paved in advance.
They said show-jumping events on such a scale would wreck life in Keysoe village, and that foxes, deer and bats have already been scared off.
Although Mrs Stoute had offered to fund a village playground as a goodwill gesture, she changed her mind after the parish council opposed her planning application.
There are also claims she has paid lawyers to send 'bullying' letters threatening opponents, which she denies.
