A 77-year-old woman who was evicted from her home in Poole, Dorset, following a boundary dispute with a neighbour has been told she must continue paying council tax on the property, which she describes as the 'final insult'.
Jenny Field lost her three-bedroom detached house after failing to pay a £113,000 legal bill owed to neighbour Pauline Clark, 64. A county court judge granted a repossession order, allowing Ms Clark to sell the property. Despite being locked out, BCP Council insists Ms Field is liable for £163 a month in council tax because she still holds the freehold.
'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 court proceedings she ultimately lost. Her initial legal costs of £13,000 escalated to six figures after unsuccessful appeals. In December, a judge dismissed her final challenge as 'totally without merit'.
Bailiffs evicted Ms Field on 26 January. She initially stayed in a hostel and now lives in a friend's flat, while her belongings are stored in a leaky garage. Her bungalow is listed for sale at £325,000, far less than expected, leaving her uncertain about securing a new home.
