THAT’S OFFENSIVE
Couple return from honeymoon to find fence 4ft from front door
THIS is the 6ft-high fence that a newlywed couple found in front of their house when they came back from honeymoon.
Thomas and Rebekah Entwistle feel like “hostages” after the structure was put up just 4ft from their front window, blocking the stunning view from their rural home.
Music teacher Thomas, 27, and Rebekah, 24 believe the barrier was erected by a farmer who is understood to be involved in a dispute with their estate’s developer over land borders.
The pair, who wed in July, moved into the £220,000 fourbed property on a Persimmon Homes estate in Blackburn, Lancs, just before Christmas. The fence was in place when they got back from the Dominican Republic last month.
Thomas said: “This was our dream home – now it’s turned into a nightmare. It feels like we are imprisoned in our own house.
“The fence is 2ft from our front window – it’s like having the Berlin Wall in front of our home.
“We are being held hostage in a land dispute which is nothing to do with us. We bought [the house] because of the view, which has now been replaced by a huge wooden fence. Rebekah is always in tears. She is in despair.”
He continued: “We’re not even sure we want to live here now.
“We keep the curtains closed in the front room, and spend most of our time upstairs. Even if the fence gets taken down, there is no guarantee it won’t come back later.”
Persimmon said: “None of our development encroaches on land not legitimately within our ownership. Planning enforcement action is being taken against the neighbouring landowner to address the fence, which has been erected illegally and in breach of planning regulations.”