A Swindon Advertiser reporter appeared on The Jeremy Vine Show this morning to discuss the events that unfolded near RAF Fairford over the weekend.
Our reporter, Lydia Barnes, appeared on the programme on September 28 to speak about her experience reporting from the scene in Whelford, near the RAF base, as the situation developed throughout Sunday.
During the interview, Lydia described arriving at a rapidly evolving incident, where there was a significant emergency services presence and many local residents were confused about what was happening.
She also discussed reports of a farmer from the village, who called 999 in the early hours of Sunday morning after encountering three vans blocking a road and a "large group of hooded and ‘balaclava’d’ men" while travelling home.
The show also discussed increased RAF police patrols in the area over the last few days, which had been mentioned to her by a number of residents that she spoke with while in Fairford and the evacuation of residents from Whelford, who have yet to be told they can return to their homes.
After the interview, Lydia said: "It was surreal honestly. This was my first time working a weekend shift and I had been prepared to go and cover the Swindon Half Marathon until my editor called and asked me to head to Whelford instead.
"I did not have a lot of information when I first arrived in the area and had to work out the best routes around the perimeter of the police cordon. I spent most of the day trying to speak with residents both in Fairford and those that had been evacuated to a nearby leisure centre.
"By the time I had made it back to my desk in the afternoon, I had an email asking me to appear on the Jeremy Vine show, as they wanted an 'on the ground' reporter. Honestly, until this morning it did not feel real. It only hit me when my family and friends started messaging me to say they had seen me on the TV. But it was a great opportunity."
The episode aired at 9.15am on Monday, September 28 on Channel 5 as part of the show's news discussion segment.
Following Lydia's appearance, Jeremy was joined by the former Counter Terrorism chief Chip Chapman to discuss the incident further and examine the decisions made during Sunday's investigation.
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