Angry residents have demanded Russian oligarchs leave an exclusive private village in Surrey, which has been dubbed “Britain’s Beverley Hills”.
St George’s Hill in Weybridge is the country’s most expensive gated development and is now home to at least 100 Russian oligarchs, one of whom, billionaire Oleg Deripaska, has been put on the Government’s sanctions list.
The exclusive enclave for the super-rich is even believed to be the British home of one Vladimir Putin’s daughters, although there has been no official confirmation.
Last week, more than 150 Weybridge residents gathered near the gated village and demanded Putin-linked oligarchs leave
Some protesters wore T-shirts and sweaters in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag
Spread over 964 acres of land worth £3 billion, St George’s Hill was once home to actress Kate Winslet, singer Tom Jones and the Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
As anger grows over Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, locals want an end to the “dirty Russian money” used to buy some of the most exclusive mansions.
Last week, more than 150 Weybridge residents gathered near the gated village and demanded Putin-linked oligarchs leave.
The protest was the second in a fortnight, with at least 300 attending the first demonstration earlier this month.
During Sunday’s rally, some protesters wore T-shirts and sweaters in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag, and waved banners calling for an end to the war that has left 3.5 million people fleeing their homes as to refugees
Spread across 964 acres of land worth £3 billion, St George’s Hill was once home to actress Kate Winslet, singer Tom Jones and The Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
But over the past two decades, more than a quarter of the 430 mansions on St George’s Hill have been bought by Russian oligarchs, with Putin’s eldest daughter Maria Faassen, 36, rumored to own a house in the village.
But as anger grows over Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, locals want to crack down on the “dirty Russian money” used to buy some of the estate’s most exclusive mansions.
Deripaska was sanctioned by the government and as a result his £18m Art Deco mansion on St George’s Hill called Hamstone House was frozen.
Deripaska had put the property on the market for £18m, but within hours of the sanctions being imposed, estate agents Knight Frank removed it from their website.
Putin’s eldest daughter Maria Faassen, 36, is rumored to have a home in the village.
Earlier this month, the government sanctioned metals tycoon Deripaska and as a result his £18m Art Deco mansion on St George’s Hill called Hamstone House was frozen.
The eight-bedroom property, spread over eight acres, includes its own swimming pool, gym, sauna and tennis court, and was where wartime prime minister Winston Churchill planned the D-Day landings.
Deripaska had put the property on the market for £18 million, but within hours of the sanctions being imposed, estate agents Knight Frank removed it from their website.
Vicki Macleod, 68, who has lived in Weybridge for more than 30 years, said more St George’s Hill oligarchs should be punished.
He said: “We hope the government will swiftly apply sanctions to pro-Putin oligarchs in the UK.”
Lesia Scholey, 53, a Ukrainian-born mother of three and one of the organizers of the protest, said: “The Russian presence here is a security risk. Not only have we had the Litvinenko poisonings and the Skripals, but also some suspicious deaths of oligarchs here on St George’s Hill and elsewhere in Surrey.
