Our neighbours built a fence that blocks us in our home – they made it in the middle of the night and just don’t care
A COUPLE were left fuming after their neighbours built a fence in the middle of the night that blocks them in their home.
John and Lorraine Smith, both 78, from Edinburgh, were left stunned at their neighbour for building a wooden fence through the communal back garden they share.
Their granddaughter, also called Lorraine, said that the fence has halved their path up to her grandparents’ garden, giving the family restricted access in and out of the property.
The mum-to-be, who is eight months pregnant, said that the passage created by the fence is too narrow to fit her buggy through.
Lorraine regularly stays at the home of her grandparents in Edinburgh, Scotland, and also acts as their carer.
And she says her frail granddad is now allegedly unable to get down the communal steps to take his dog for a walk.
Lorraine claimed her grandparents initially agreed to the fence and even forked up £600 for it, before realising it restricted their access to the garden.
She told Mail Online: “The fence is very obstructive. They have taken advantage of my grandparents and got them to pay £600 when the lease states that my grandparents shouldn’t have had to pay for a fence.
“Cement was put for down the fence posts and they cut down trees of theirs which they dumped in my grandparents’ garden and just left it like that.
“It was erected overnight before I found out that my grandparents had paid £600 to them.”
Lorraine continued: “I spoke to the joiner and told him it was not right. I’m not even sure he actually is a joiner. I told him he had blocked off our access and he just said he was doing what he was told.
“The neighbours knew the back area was communal and shouldn’t be blocked but apparently they wanted their privacy.
“I went to their door and asked to speak to them about the fence. The woman said to me, ‘You’ve just come to my door for a f***ing argument.”
Lorraine previously said that her neighbours haven’t even been living here for a year but her nana has lived there since she was 15.
Three trees were also cut from the next door neighbours garden before the branches and debris were dumped in a ten foot high pile in the Smith’s back garden.
‘STRESSFUL’
Lorraine said the deeds of both properties show the shared areas and the specific boundary which outlined where the neighbours could erect the fence
She added: “My grandmother told them numerous times the area was shared and they couldn’t touch the shared path but the man next door said he didn’t understand why it should be shared and went ahead with the work anyway.
“His wife said to me, ‘Tough s***. It’s built now.’ Those exact words.
“If there was a fire and they had to leave the back way, they would be in trouble.’
“My grandfather is getting a heart operation. I’m pregnant. It is a lot of stress.”
The Smiths are taking legal action and have complained to Edinburgh City’s Council’s planning enforcement department.
But the Smiths’ neighbour Katerina Przemek said: “This is a matter for the lawyers. Lorraine Smith is not the owner of the property.
“She does not have power of attorney for her grandparents and her grandparents are in their right mind and they agreed everything.
“They are of sound mind and that’s all I have to say on the matter.”
Edinburgh Council said: “We are aware of this incident and looking into it.”