A woman has told how her neighbours built a garden fence ‘as high as the Berlin Wall’ as part of a long-running feud which is now so bitter the police have been called several times.
Tina Keogh, 59, said she and her partner came back from holiday to discover a ‘monstrous’ corrugated iron fence had been installed along the perimeter of their rural Welsh home while they were away.
Peter and Sylvia Harries admit putting up the fence without planning permission, but insist they need it for protection against the retired couple next door.
The row, which has been bubbling on for seven months, has now spilled out into a furious war of words with the rest of the village, the council and the police all being dragged in.
Ms Keogh, an ex-prison officer, is horrified that the metal structure is obstructing their views, blocking out light and ruining their country garden.
Tina Keogh, 59, (above) has told how her neighbours built a garden fence ‘as high as the Berlin Wall’ as part a long-running feud which is now so bitter the police have been called several times
The retired prison officer said she and her partner came back from holiday to discover a ‘monstrous’ corrugated iron fence had been erected along the perimeter of their rural Welsh home while they were away
The row, which has been bubbling on for seven months, has now spilled out into a furious war of words with the rest of the village, the council and the police all being dragged in
Peter and Sylvia Harries (pictured) admit putting up the fence without planning permission, but insist they need it for protection against the retired couple next door
‘It’s like having the Berlin Wall running alongside your garden,’ she said.
The couple complained to the council demanding the fence, which they claim is 14ft high, is torn down.
But Mr and Mrs Harries applied for retrospective planning permission stating the fence is only 11ft 4in and was put up for their protection.
The fence, in the sleepy village of Pentrellwyn, Cardiganshire, has been up since August but council chiefs are unable to take any action while there is an ongoing planning application.
Ms Keogh, a grandmother, and her partner, both former high security prison officers, say their garden now reminds them of the jails they worked in before they retired.
‘We were living her quite peacefully until the fence was put up while we were away on holiday last summer,’ she said.
‘It’s a horrible eyesore; they are not even fencing panels but the leftovers of a building our neighbours demolished.
‘We have tried to reason with the Harrieses but it’s not done any good.’
Ms Keogh, who has been with her partner for 23 years, claims they suffered homophobic abuse when the fence row turned ugly.
She said: ‘We’ve been called dykes and all sorts of horrible names, some too disgusting to repeat.
‘A huge rock was deposited at the entrance to our driveway with a phallic symbol drawn on it.
‘It’s not what you expect in a quiet rural area of West Wales.’
She says their retirement in Wales with dogs Maggie, Arthur and Boomer is being blighted by the ugly fence.
Ms Keogh, an ex-prison officer, is horrified that the metal structure is obstructing their views, blocking out light and ruining their country garden
The fence, in the sleepy village of Pentrellwyn, Cardiganshire, has been up since August but council chiefs are unable to take any action while there is an ongoing planning application
Ms Keogh and her partner, both former high security prison officers, say their garden now reminds them of the jails they worked in before they retired. ‘It’s a horrible eyesore, they are not even fencing panels but the leftovers of a building our neighbours demolished’
They admit police are ‘regularly’ called to sort out the squabble over the structure which separates the couple’s garden from Mr Harries’s yard where he keeps diggers and plant hire equipment.
Both couples have CCTV cameras trained on their neighbours’ properties over the fence which is painted green on the Harries’s side and an industrial grey on Ms Keogh’s side.
She said: ‘It’s ruined the garden and spoils the time we spend out there with the dogs.
‘We’ve got climbing plants, honeysuckle and other shrubs but it’s ruined by this dirty great fence.
‘It’s all got a bit silly with the name calling and everything – we used to get on with Mr Harries but sadly not any more.’
Ms Keogh and her partner, who doesn’t want to be named due to her former job, have lived in the house near Llandysul for 15 years.
Mrs Harries claims the couple have been trying to close down her husband’s plant hire business ever since they moved in.
She is furious that Ms Keogh and her partner are claiming they have suffered homophobic abuse in the fence row.
Mrs Harries said: ‘It’s appalling they are using their sexuality to try to get their own way.
On the other side, Mrs Harries claims the couple have been trying to close down her husband’s plant hire business ever since they moved in
‘We are not homophobic – many people have a gay person in their family these days, as do we.
Mrs Harries said she and her husband have endured ‘horrendous behaviour’ including name calling and false allegations.
She said: ‘They set out to destroy my husband because of his business but we have a license to operate from here.
‘They are despicable human beings and have fallen out with the whole village – 99 per cent of the people here are backing us.
‘We put up the fence to stop them coming onto our property. We told them they can paint their side green if they wish.’
Mrs Harries said her husband was a ‘laid back’ man who hasn’t spoken to his neighbours for years and keeps out of the argument.
‘His view is to let them get on with it and they will blow themselves out,’ she said.
Mrs Harries said she and her husband have endured ‘horrendous behaviour’ including name calling and false allegations: ‘They are despicable human beings and have fallen out with the whole village – 99 per cent of the people here are backing us’
Ceredigion Council is due to make a decision on the future of the fence later this year while a Dyfed-Powys Police spokeswoman added: ‘We are aware of the situation and are liaising with both parties’
Ceredigion Council is due to make a decision on the future of the fence later this year.
A spokesman said: ‘There is a current planning application for the fence.
‘The application is in response to an investigation into complaints about the erection of a fence.
‘It is not expedient to take enforcement action whilst an application is being considered.’
A Dyfed-Powys Police spokeswoman said: ‘We are aware of the situation and are liaising with both parties.’