One of Britain's top druids, King Arthur Pendragon, is taking legal action over summer solstice parking charges at Stonehenge, suggesting hiking them from £5 to £15 'unfairly targeted' his religion.
The £15 fee, introduced this year for special events, was 'illegal' King Arthur claimed. The druid suggested it excluded 12,500 people from this year's solstice event.
English Heritage manages the parking at the neolithic monument. However Mr Pendragon has accused Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Police and English Heritage of 'conspiring' together to restrict access to Stonehenge, the BBC reports.
The bodies have provided no comment but have all confirmed legal proceedings had been lodged.
'I normally lead the dawn ceremony at the solstice and this year I couldn't because I refused to pay,' he told the BBC.
Mr Pendragon argues he had the 'right to go to Stonehenge four times a year' to worship and English Heritage are 'supposed to open it up for free'.
'Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council and English Heritage conspired between them by closing all the by-ways in and around Stonehenge to make it impossible for me to park anywhere save for their car park.
'What I believe is it's illegal under the European Convention on Human Rights and it's only because we're a minority religion that they feel they can get away with it.'
The parking charge was introduced at the event on 21 June, with a view to modal shift.
Last year Swansea Council was hit with a legal bill after the authority was found to have acted unlawfully in trying to withdraw free buses for pupils at faith schools.
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