Bradley Stoke anti-porn demonstration hits the national headlines

Anti-Porn Protest at The Coppice

A demonstration by a group of Bradley Stoke residents against a neighbour who openly operates a porn movie business from his house has hit the national headlines.

A group of twelve predominantly elderly residents of The Coppice, described by the national media as an “affluent cul-de-sac” or “leafy avenue” in “lovely” Bradley Stoke, were protesting against the activities of James Edwards, who owns a highly-secured property on the corner of Sherbourne Avenue.

The residents, holding placards carrying the slogans “pensioners against prostitution”, “protect our house values” and “pimps out, house values up”, assembled outside Mr James’ house accompanied by a similarly sized group of journalists alerted to the story by an article in Friday’s Bristol Evening Post.

Members of the group said they were fed up with the constant stream of male and female visitors to the property and claimed that Mr Edwards was involved in illegal prostitution as a sideline to his sex film recording business, which police have said is within the law.

One protester showed journalists a photograph of a model exposing herself in the front garden of the property. He also produced a Christmas card sent by Mr Edwards to his neighbours, featuring a topless photograph of his former wife.

Residents also said Mr Edwards had used ‘blue screen’ techniques to feature their own houses as a backdrop to explicit scenes in one of his movies.

The group said they had complained to the police and South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), but were frustrated that no action had been taken.

Bradley Stoke Mayor, Robert JonesBradley Stoke Mayor and SGC Councillor, Robert Jones, made an appearance at the scene of the demonstration and chatted to Mr Edwards, the protesters and reporters. He later told The Journal:

“Although I was aware of some of the history surrounding complaints at The Coppice, until yesterday none of the residents had approached me directly to discuss their issues.”

“I do sympathise with their concerns, it can’t be nice to have a pornographic studio on your doorstep, particularly for those with young children or grandchildren, however the council can only work within the legal powers it has.”

“I can assure residents that if there are legitimate grounds for complaint under, for example, planning or trading standards they will be properly investigated.”

How the protest was reported:

More photos of the demo in The Journal’s PicasaWeb Gallery: Album ; Slideshow

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