A furious homeowner is locked in a turf war with his neighbours who he claims built a garden office pod on his lawn. Justin Leech and his wife Julia moved into their £600,000 new build home in Orleton, Herefordshire, only to discover their garden was 6ft (1.8m) shorter than expected.
Fence Error Causes Dispute
Bungling builders had erected the fence at the wrong angle, producing a dog-leg in the property boundary line. The mix-up meant about 17.7 sq metres (190 sq ft) of their land was mistakenly added to the garden backing onto them. The neighbours then built a garden office pod on the extra land not long after the Leech family moved in in November 2023.
Mr Leech, 51, said: "We thought we were moving into our dream home but it's turned into our worst nightmare. There was clearly a mistake made when the fence was put up."
Unresolved for Nearly Three Years
Mr and Mrs Leech complained to Shropshire Homes, the developer, but the issue remains unresolved almost three years later. In a bid to end the deadlock, the couple have vowed to tear down the fence to force the case to go to court.
Mr Leech said: "You can clearly see where our boundary line should be on the plans. The neighbours clearly know they have land which is rightfully ours. We are so desperate we are seriously considering removing the fence so we get our day in court. We want a judge to decide."
Neighbours Unresponsive
The couple, who have two children aged eight and four, say they have tried to raise the issue with their neighbours, Craig and Nichola Fleetwood, but to no avail. Civil servant Mr Leech said: "We have tried to talk to them about it over the years, but they don't want to know."
He added: "It is blindingly obvious that the fence was installed in the wrong place. The boundary line was measured from the wrong building. It was a simple mistake but it needs correcting. The fence even takes a right angle so it's not straight. None of the other fences do this. All our other neighbours agree that it's our land. It's madness."
Race Against Time
Mr and Mrs Leech also fear they are in a race against time to reclaim the land, which could default to their neighbours after ten years. Mrs Leech, who runs a small business, said: "The neighbours are just happy to wait because they know the land will automatically be theirs after 10 years is up. From every window at the back of the house I can see the fence and it's a constant reminder that we have been denied the land which is rightfully ours. Seeing the office pod on land which is actually ours just adds insult to injury."
Developer Responds
Shropshire Homes admits the fence was put in the wrong place, but says they knocked £10,000 off the final asking price of the house. In an email to the couple, the developer also vowed to provide evidence to the Land Registry confirming the original boundary line. Managing director Richard Shackleton said: "We have satisfied our legal obligations which should really be an end of the issue. Mr Leech and his wife do not have any legal right over the land in dispute and whilst it remains in dispute we will not transfer the land to either party. They also have a legal obligation to maintain the current fence and therefore we do not condone any attempt to remove it."
Mr and Mrs Fleetwood have been approached for comment.
