A 77-year-old woman who was evicted from her home after losing a legal battle over a garden fence has said she is being forced to continue paying council tax on the property, calling it the 'final insult'. Jenny Field lost her three-bedroom detached house in Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, after failing to pay a £113,000 legal bill owed to her neighbour, Pauline Clark.
A county court judge granted a repossession order allowing Ms Clark to sell Ms Field's property to recover the debt. Despite being locked out of her home since January, BCP Council has told Ms Field she remains liable for council tax because she still holds the freehold. She must pay £163.70 from April, followed by £162.00 for the next ten months.
'I phoned BCP Council and they said unless my freehold has been sold I am still responsible for council tax as nobody has bought my freehold from me as the legal freeholder,' Ms Field said. 'I feel bullied and harassed. This is another insult to me losing my home.'
The dispute began in 2020 when Ms Clark erected a boundary fence that Ms Field claimed encroached 12 inches onto her land. She had contractors remove and reposition it, leading to a court case she ultimately lost. Her initial legal costs of around £13,000 escalated to a six-figure sum after repeated unsuccessful appeals.
Ms Field was evicted by bailiffs on 26 January and given until mid-February to remove her belongings. She initially stayed in a hostel and is now living in a friend's flat, while her possessions are stored in a leaky garage. Her bungalow has been listed for sale at a reduced price of £325,000, which she fears will not leave her enough money to secure a new home.
