Fuming pregnant woman 'can't get pram into garden' after neighbours build fence

06 March 2023 , 22:05

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Lorraine Smith is unhappy at the new fence blocking the garden (Image: Supplied)

A fuming mum-to-be has slammed her neighbours for erecting a fence in the middle of the garden they share with her elderly grandparents.

Pregnant Lorraine Smith, 32, said the obstruction means she can't get her buggy into the back green, and the family can't access the gate.

After multiple attempts to confront the neighbours over the newly-built fence, Lorraine said her complaints have fallen on deaf ears and her grandparents have been told to "deal with it".

The hairdresser told EdinburghLive: “The neighbours haven't even been living here for a year but my nana, who is 78, has lived there since she was 15.

"As it's an old coal mine house, the back garden is communal and so are the steps at the back of the property.

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The row erupted when the fence was installed (Supplied)

A council officer said they are looking into the issue (Supplied)

"When they moved in last August they were told that it was a communal garden and was split in half, so anything that they wanted to build had to be put in a letter to my grandparents.

"Last Thursday I came to the house and saw the joiner building the fence. When the neighbours were planning on building it, they told my grandparents but did not say that it would take up one metre of their land.

"They said they wanted their own privacy and couldn't understand why it was a communal area anyway. My grandparents said that was fine, but now their access has been completely restricted.

"When the joiner was building it, I went and knocked on their door but funnily enough nobody was in.

“Later that night, I knocked again and they told me I was just looking for an argument and that the fence was built so I'd have to deal with it."

Lorraine often stays at the home in Edinburgh and is a carer for her grandparents.

She continued: "They have literally taken up half of the steps with the fence and built their own, which makes no sense. They also charged my grandparents £600 for the fence.

"I'm getting advice from a lawyer and they are drafting up a letter to inform the family that the fence has to be moved further towards their porch or taken down.

"My nana is in tears due to the whole situation and it's so sickening as they have lived here their whole lives. I have tried to speak with the neighbours again but they basically slammed the door in my face.

"They asked why I would need access with a pram to the garden but that's nothing to do with them and it saves me walking all the way around to get access to the park."

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A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council said: "We are aware of this incident and are looking into it."

Antony Thrower