Neighbour rages at fence put up by woman next door... that was there BEFORE she moved in

Neighbour's fence

A homeowner has blasted her neighbour for complaining about a fence (not pictured) she erected on their shared drive - before the new resident moved in

Getty/ PA
Georgina Cutler

By Georgina Cutler


Published: 11/09/2024

- 11:47

A woman has branded her neighbour 'ridiculous' amid an ongoing fence row

A homeowner has blasted her neighbour for complaining about a fence she erected on their shared drive - before the new resident even moved in.

Angela, from Dinnington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, claims that she placed a 6ft fence along a shared boundary line before her neighbour moved into the property.


The bank worker has branded her neighbour, Kathryn Hewitt "ridiculous" and said she has never been approached directly by Hewitt about the front fence.

However, Hewitt - who bought the £180,000 house from Persimmon Homes - argues that her neighbour placed the fence on the boundary line without her permission, which prevents her from opening her car door and moving her bin into the garden.

Neighbour's fenceA homeowner has blasted her neighbour for complaining about a fence (not pictured) she erected on their shared drive - before the new resident moved inGetty/ PA

Angela said she did not know there was an issue with the fence until Hewitt sought legal advice.

"It's ridiculous really. She didn't move in until December 2021 and we put the fence up in April 2021 so it was there when she bought it," Angela told The Sun.

"I can't really comment on whether the fence will come down. It is a thing that has gone on for quite a while and it has caused a lot of bother.

"Mrs Hewitt has never spoken to us about the front fence. We found out about it when she went to seek legal advice. We don't really know what is happening now because we haven't heard from her solicitor."

Angela explained that she has been undergoing cancer treatment since being diagnosed November last year and is now trying to deal with the legal fence row.

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She added: "I don't know if she knew about that as we never had the conversation. She has not spoken about this fence to me. I didn't know until the legal issue got sent."

Mum-of-two Hewitt said the boundary was supposed to be open-planned.

She also suggests that Persimmon Homes erected a rear garden fence between the two properties in an incorrect position.

Hewitt said: "This was clearly in breach of the contract signed prior to the purchase of my house. After endless communications with Persimmon Homes and solicitor's letters to my neighbour, I am still no further forward with having the fence removed.

"On further inspection from Persimmon Homes, it has also come to light that the fence they erected was in the incorrect position. As a result of this, I have limited access to the back of my property - a legal requirement."

She added that the developer has offered £1,000 in compensation and to cover the cost of having the Land Registry documents changed.

Generic fence

Angela, from Dinnington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, claims that she placed a 6ft fence along a shared boundary line before her neighbour moved into the property (stock image)

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"This whole situation is incurring costs running into thousands of pounds," Hewitt said.

"Apart from the cost implications, the stress of the whole situation is adversely affecting my mental health."

A Persimmon North East spokesperson said: "We're sorry for the inconvenience caused to Ms Hewitt by the original installation of the small boundary fence.

"We had received permission from the owner of the neighbouring property to grant us access to move the fence onto the correct alignment.

"However, the two homeowners in question are unfortunately now in a legal dispute regarding additional fences that have been erected by the neighbouring property which has stopped us being able to gain access.

"We still hope that agreement can be found with both parties so that we can move the original fence."

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