A 77-year-old pensioner has been forcibly evicted from her home following the conclusion of a bitter five-year legal battle with her neighbour over a disputed one-foot strip of land. Jenny Field described her current situation as a "nightmare" after being removed from her £420,000 bungalow in Poole, Dorset, and spending a night on the streets.
A Draconian Order Enforced
Bailiffs executed the eviction on Monday after a judge ordered that Ms Field's property be sold to cover the £113,000 she owes neighbour Pauline Clark in accumulated legal fees. The pensioner was given a brief window to pack a few bags of personal belongings and retrieve her mobile phone before the locks were changed on her three-bedroom home, which she has owned since 2016.
Life in Limbo
Ms Field spent Monday wandering the local area with her bags before facing a night without shelter. She has since attended the offices of BCP Council in an attempt to secure emergency housing. The grandmother has been informed she has just three weeks to remove all her furniture and possessions from the property before it is sold at auction.
"It's just a nightmare," Ms Field stated. "I'm waiting to speak to someone at the council about emergency housing. It's a long drawn out process. I've got 21 days to collect all my belongings or they will just take it out and dump it. But I've got nowhere to put it; I've got a lot of stuff."
The Root of the Dispute
The protracted conflict originated in the quiet residential cul-de-sac of Hamworthy, Poole, centring on a boundary fence erected by Mrs Clark in 2020. Ms Field, a divorcee, contended that her neighbour had positioned the fence approximately twelve inches onto her land. Two months later, she hired contractors to dismantle the six-foot fence and later repositioned it to reclaim what she believed was her property.
Legal Escalation and Mounting Costs
Mrs Clark subsequently took the matter to court and was successful in her claim. Ms Field was initially ordered to cover the cost of the removed fence and approximately £21,000 in legal fees. However, Ms Field refused to accept the judgement, leading to multiple returns to court and causing the total legal bill to skyrocket into six figures.
Last September, at Bournemouth County Court, Judge Ross Fentem described Ms Field's allegations of fraud against Mrs Clark as "totally without merit." He issued an order for the sale of Ms Field's home, describing it as a "draconian order" and a last resort, noting she had been given every opportunity to settle the debt. A deadline of December 6th was set for payment of the £113,000 bill.
Defiance and Eviction
After the deadline passed without payment, Mrs Clark's solicitors successfully applied for an eviction notice. Ms Field failed to market her property for sale and instead inundated the courts with correspondence insisting her neighbour was at fault. She even placed a sign on her front door declaring any eviction attempt invalid and alleging harassment.
During the eviction, Ms Field was heard shouting at bailiffs before a locksmith used an electric saw to gain entry. After being removed, she repeatedly rang the doorbell requesting re-entry.
Legal Perspective and Aftermath
Anna Curtis, solicitor for Mrs Clark, stated there was ample equity in Ms Field's property to pay the debt and still allow her to purchase a comfortable retirement property mortgage-free with cash remaining. Judge Fentem, in his judgement, emphasised the need for resolution, stating: "This matter needs resolution, the parties need to find a way of putting the entirety of this dispute behind them."
Despite her eviction and the court's repeated rejections of her case, Ms Field remains defiant. "I'm going to contest it," she vowed. "I just need to prove that [Mrs Clark] has committed fraud." She now faces the immediate challenge of finding shelter and storing her belongings while contemplating her next legal move.
