Farmer's blazing protest

Fred Martin, a Northumberland hill farmer, burnt his home down rather than pay his council tax. Mr Martin, 45, who has lived in a ramshackle wooden cabin without water, power, or a lavatory for three years, received a bill for pounds 410 from Tynedale District Council - more than the cabin is worth. So he poured paraffin around the three-roomed property and within half an hour reduced it to a pile of ashes.