An elderly woman was forced to demolish her three-foot picket fence after she was threatened by the council with a £1,000 fine – because one neighbour complained.
Margaret Rose Hale, 72, was devastated to tear down the fence after a visit from a ‘rude’ council officer who told her she was violating planning laws.
The pensioner said the fence was ‘for safety’ and had allowed her dog, Benji, to run around outside without escaping.
She claimed other dogs had defecated on her garden since it was removed from her bungalow in Bracknell, Berkshire.
Several months ago, a council worker visited her home and said someone had reported her for having the fence and she didn’t have planning permission.
Mrs Hale retrospectively applied for planning permission, but her application was refused and she was forced to tear down her small fence.
Mrs Hale told MailOnline: ‘My husband and I put it up about four years ago.
‘We did it for safety, so the dog cannot get out. Now I am picking up the poo from everybody else’s dogs. Apparently this piece of ground here is for amenities’, Mrs Hale recalled, pointing to her front garden.
‘But I said, we are keeping it nice. I said to the man, ‘I am looking after your piece of grass here.’
Although the fence was under four-foot tall, her husband Frank and another neighbour tore up the wooden enclosure after the Hales were threatened with the fine.
Speaking from her home, retired school cleaner Mrs Hale pointed out how other neighbours have been allowed to keep fences.
Referring to the neighbour who complained about the fence, Mrs Hale commented: ‘Whoever this lady or man is, God forgive her. Because I do, I forgive her.’
But other neighbours had rallied around the Hales, with local resident Marion Sumpton having distributed a petition urging the council to reconsider their decision.
The petition read: ‘Fences contribute positively to property values by enhancing curb appeal and providing privacy.
‘Fences act as physical barriers against potential intruders or unwanted animals and well-maintained fences improve neighbourhood aesthetics and create a sense of pride to the residents.
‘Considering these facts alongside my personal experience living near the fence for several years, I firmly believe that removing it would be detrimental to residents.’
Mrs Hale said she was pleased by the petition, adding: ‘We are a little community here and we are the eldest in this little group, so everybody comes to us, we look after their dogs.’
