By Tim Binnall
A bitter and rather strange feud has erupted between rival ghost tour companies in England with each side claiming the other is trying to drive them out of business. The odd turf war reportedly began back in January when Joe Rukin launched Sinister Stratford, which guides guests around the various spooky spots that can be found in Shakespeare's famous hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. While he may have had the best intentions with his new endeavor, the creation of the company raised the ire of Janet and John Ford, who have been conducting ghost tours in the historic community for the last two decades by way of their company Tudor World.
Particularly annoying to the pair is that Rukin's tours start just a few hundred feet from the front door of their business, which is housed in a historic 12th century home. "We feel like mugs paying for this ancient building, whilst anyone can come and take our trade without any overheads of consequence," John lamented. Rukin responded to the criticism by declaring that the couple "don't have a monopoly on conducting tours. I don't have a permanent office and I have to meet my customers somewhere." The bitterness between the two tours was exacerbated further when the website TripAdvisor inadvertently listed Rukin's website on its profile for Tudor World, which understandably aggravated the Fords.
With the summer in full swing and tourists flocking to the famous town, the rivalry between the two tours has reached a boiling point. Accusing the couple of orchestrating a "vicious victimization campaign," Rukin claims that "I've been verbally abused while doing my tours" and asserted that the couple have threatened to "run me out of town." In their defense, Janet says that "nothing could be further from the truth" and lambasted their rival for "playing the victim." For now, it would seem that both tour companies will have to live with their rival doing business in the town as it is unlikely that the Shakespearean feud will be resolved any time soon.