A COWBOY may have to "leave town" after his dream of opening a Wild West school in the Yorkshire Dales was shot down by planners.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has been on the trail of Django the Hungarian cowboy ever since he unsaddled his horse and moved on to land near the frontier village of Thwaite, in Swaledale.

And yesterday, they finally got their man.

Django, real name Martin Kiss, had hoped to open a trekking centre at Skeb Skeugh Farm and teach city slickers how to ride the range, just like Billy the Kid.

But the national park has refused to give permission and told Django to move the caravan he has been living in, dismantle a horse training ring and ride off into the sunset.

However, Django, who has a five-year-old son called Django Junior, has vowed to stand and fight.

He said: "The national parks are trying to put a father and son on the streets and deprive me of a living. We've nowhere else to go.

"They want to run me out of Swaledale, but it won't be that easy because I'm not going anywhere. I can't afford to knock the ring down, they will have to do it themselves."

The political refugee, named after jazz musician Django Reinhardt, left Hungary nearly 20 years ago.

He happened upon Thwaite by accident during an 18-month horseback tour of Britain six years ago, when he also taught himself how to ride like a cowboy.

While following the Pennine Way on his horse Gipsy, he took a wrong turn into the village.

The national parks refused to grant permission after people living above Django's homestead objected.

He said: "One of them said my horse bit him - it wasn't my horse.

"The national parks are thinking about the people who have bought holiday cottages here, not the people who have to make a living.

"I expected they would use a little bit more compassion and consideration.

"Now I will have to appeal against the decision. That's all I can do."

The cowboy has been given 12 months to saddle up and move on.