An eco-boss who tore up a beautiful flowerbed in font of the horrified villagers who planted it is said to have made locals' lived hell for the decade he has lived there - and has even been banned from the local pub.
Residents of Gwaenysgor, north Wales, installed the first of six planters in a bid to improve biodiversity opposite the village boozer and to the rear of Mike Hodgson's garden wall, on public land
But shocking video footage shows the wind turbine company director wrenching out the colourful herbs and flowers less than 24 hours after the raised bed had been tenderly planted by volunteers - before he tried to destroy the wooden structure with an angle grinder.
And now the landlord of the Eagle and Child said that Mr Hodgson, 53, has made locals 'not feel safe' after 'hundreds and hundreds' of incidents.
Clinton Borders, who has run the establishment for 20 years, barred the green boss after an argument over CCTV in 2015, where he asked for footage showing an occurrence outside the inn.
And when he refused to hand the video over, the 62-year-old claims Mr Hodgson threatened to run him out of business and make his life a misery.
'He said you have just made your worse enemy and I am going to ruin you and your business,' Mr Borders told MailOnline.
Video footage appears to show wind turbine company director Mike Hodgson, 54, pulling out the colourful herbs and flowers less than 24 hours after the raised bed had been planted
The landlord of the Eagle and Child (pictured) said that Mr Hodgson, 53, has made locals 'not feel safe' after 'hundreds and hundreds' of incidents
Mr Hodgson and his partner Shirin Poostchi, 55, were filmed on Tuesday as they climbed onto the soil and pulled out the plants that had been put in place
Mr Hodgson was pictured holding a crowbar aloft as he spoke to village volunteers
'I have come to live with it now. I feel for the neighbours and the people who back onto his property. He has made their lives hell.
'He picks on the vulnerable, not the young fit men, just the older.
'There are hundreds and hundreds of these incidents. There is a massive history to this and no one in the police has the power to pull it altogether and make a judgement on it.
'You don't feel safe just to walk round the village because you know he is just going to intimidate you or make your day bad.'
Mr Hodgson and his partner Shirin Poostchi, 55, were filmed on Tuesday as they climbed onto the soil and pulled out the plants that had been put in place.
The green energy boss was seen ripping out all the insect friendly plants before trying to cut up the wooden planter with an angle grinder.
Residents of Gwaenysgor then staged a 'sit-in' to protect the flower bed during the turf war in the heart of the countryside village.
Mr Hodgson asserts he destroyed the wildflowers because the planter violated his 'business plans' and 'environmental ethos', and said it follows opposition to his attempt to install a home office and gym.
Mr Hodgson attempted to destroy the wooden planter by cutting it up with an angle grinder
Villagers staged a sit in to try and protect the bed, but Mr Hodgson simply climbed over them
Clinton Borders, who has run the pub for 20 years, barred the green boss after an argument over CCTV in 2015, where he asked for footage showing an occurrence outside the inn (pictured)
Michael Hodgson, 53, is the CEO of an offshore wind company but used to work in the oil and gas industries
He claimed the wooden structure encroached on his property and had been put in without planning permission, adding that 'there was no aggression or hostility on our part' - although he admitted that the incident was 'regrettable'.
Mr Hodgson was born close to the Welsh village, later living in Milton Keynes and Italy. He returned to the area in 2013 and quickly rubbed neighbours up the wrong way.
Tuesday's incident marked a low point in a long running feud between Mr Hodgson, his partner Shirin Poostchi and a number of residents in Gwaenysgor, near Prestatyn, in Flintshire, north Wales.
Complaints to police about the hostile climate and distressing incidents in the village have created a bulging file known by insiders as the 'Gwaenysgor problem' but have not resulted in any action.
Mr Borders continued: 'He is always videoing; he has got cameras all round his house. He takes clips and shows it to police to make out it is him who is being targeted.
'The police have been involved. They have looked at resident's parking schemes, yellow lines, traffic registration orders, antisocial behaviour contracts, and community protection orders.
'From 2015 to 2024, there have been a variety of police involved trying to sort it out but there is nothing they can do.
Neighbours say problems started when the Hodgsons first moved to the village in 2013
The bed was planted in preparation for Britain in Bloom and in association with the village Conservation Group and Community Council Biodiversity Project
Community volunteers sat on the planter in an attempt to stop the couple from destroying it
'They won't caution him or anything. They just told us if you feel threatened go inside and have a cup of tea.'
At lunchtime on Tuesday, two police cars containing four officers raced to the scene and separated the opposing factions amid fears it could come to blows over the biodiversity project.
It was one of six planned planters to be set up on odd areas of unkempt, unadopted ground around the village and it was constructed with the help of the local conservation group as part of a Britain in Bloom bid.
Inspector Wesley Williams, of North Wales Police, said: 'I am aware of ongoing concerns raised by residents in the Gwaenysgor area, and of images in connection with an incident released in the media.
'Prior to the incident, I have had discussions with relevant partners and Senedd members to understand the concerns and issues within the village and to be able to provide longer term community support. I would urge the public not to jeopardise ongoing police investigations by sharing or commenting on the matter online.'
Mr Hodgson, who worked for 20 years in the oil and gas industries, is understood to have become increasingly incensed over three failed planning applications he had made for his £500,000, four bedroom home at the end of Lon Capel street.
On each occasion there has been vociferous opposition from locals opposed to his attempt to build a home office and gym in his garden and create off street parking for himself on land which they say he does not own.
Neighbour Andy Clarke, 58, said: 'We installed a herb planter adjacent to their house - it is not on their land but is next to it.
'Members of the public had to sit on the bed to stop them destroying it. The police were called but no one was cautioned or arrested.
'What happened was breathtaking.
Less than 24 hours earlier members of the Gwaesnygor community had come together to plant the first of six planned beds
The plants were all bee and insect friendly, and it was hoped the planters would help the area's biodiversity
'We had all worked on this to try and brighten up some of the messier parts of the village. There is a wonderful growing sense of community here but one which Mr Hodgson does not seem to share.
'We hoped this planter would be the beginning of a planned project of six which would blossom in to a full-blown Britain in Bloom entry. After less than 24 hours, we are back to square one.'
Mr Clarke, a creative director at a design agency, added the flowers had been planted with the support of the community council in what he described as a 'sleepy, rural, village, where the average age of residents must be over 60'.
He said: 'We planted this to brighten things up and as part of readying the village for Britain in Bloom and in association with the village Conservation Group and Community Council Biodiversity Project.'
Posting a video of the incident on social media, Mr Clarke added: 'To see our friends and neighbours terrorised and threatened by [Mr Hodgson] will haunt my sleep.'
During the video, a man can be heard saying in front of Mr Hodgson: 'This is how CEOs of companies behave. I'm going to love putting this on his LinkedIn account later on today. This is going to be fabulous on his LinkedIn profile.'
Mr Clarke said villagers had previously contacted their local Conservative Senedd Member Mark Isherwood and police regarding alleged 'anti-social behaviour' problems with Mr Hodgson but to no avail.
Accusations levelled by residents include verbal abuse and inconsiderate parking.
Mr Hodgson is seen gesticulating at the person filming the incident
It is not known what happened to the plants uprooted during the row on Tuesday
Mr Hodgson said he did not wish to comment on the dispute and said: 'To be honest it is not something we want to be dealing with.'
Ms Poostchi added: 'We're trying to get on with our day at work.'
Speaking to MailOnline on Friday, Mr Hodgson said: 'We acknowledge that a recent incident involving the removal of a planter has attracted attention. I would like to address the situation directly and provide some context as the video provided a one-sided view.
'This matter stems from a long-standing conflict within the community. The planter encroaches on the property where we conduct our business and was erected without planning permission in a conservation area.
'Our company is deeply committed to recycling and green energy, and we have always strived to maintain our premises in a manner consistent with these values.
'Unfortunately, the planter in question includes materials that are not environmentally friendly, such as plastic and concrete, which conflicts with our sustainability efforts.
'We requested the individuals responsible for the planter to move it and provided them with a 24-hour window to do so. When this was not accomplished, we proceeded to remove the planter ourselves.
'I want to be clear that there was no aggression or hostility on our part; we simply exercised our right to maintain a space that already contained plants and herbs, in a rockery style.
'It's also important to note that the planter location has implications for our ongoing planning application to make necessary changes to our property to comply with the Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
'The presence of this structure has the potential to affect these plans, which are critical to our business operations and more importantly our environmental ethos.
'The incident is regrettable, and I hope that we can all move forward. I encourage the community to respect each other's spaces and focus on positive developments within our area.'
