{"id":243375,"date":"2023-12-09T12:07:53","date_gmt":"2023-12-09T12:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=243375"},"modified":"2023-12-09T12:07:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T12:07:53","slug":"i-had-to-tear-down-my-3ft-fence-after-my-mystery-neighbour-complained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/world-news\/i-had-to-tear-down-my-3ft-fence-after-my-mystery-neighbour-complained\/","title":{"rendered":"I had to tear down my 3ft fence after my mystery neighbour complained"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Lawn and order! Elderly woman, 72, forced to demolish 3ft picket fence and threatened with \u00a31,000 fine by jobsworth council after single mystery neighbour complains<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>EXCLUSIVE: Margaret Hale, 72, was forced to tear down her three-foot fence<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>She and her husband Frank put it up to keep their dog Benji safe in the garden<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>But she was threatened with a fine after a mystery neighbour complained<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An elderly woman was forced to demolish her three-foot picket fence after she was threatened by the council with a \u00a31,000 fine &#8211; because one neighbour complained.<\/p>\n<p>Margaret Rose Hale, 72, was devastated to tear down the fence after a visit from a &#8216;rude&#8217; council officer who told her she was violating planning laws.<\/p>\n<p>The pensioner said the fence was &#8216;for safety&#8217; and had allowed her dog, Benji, to run around outside without escaping.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She claimed other dogs had defecated on her garden since it was removed from her\u00a0bungalow in Bracknell, Berkshire.<\/p>\n<p>Several months ago, a council worker visited her home and said someone had reported her for having the fence and she didn&#8217;t have planning permission.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/09\/11\/78418777-12809617-Mrs_Hale_s_charming_picket_fence_allowed_her_tiny_dog_to_run_fre-a-15_1702122536612.jpg\" height=\"411\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mrs Hale&#8217;s charming picket fence allowed her tiny dog to run free in the garden<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/09\/11\/78418779-12809617-Pictured_The_house_after_Bracknell_Forest_Council_ordered_her_to-a-16_1702122536613.jpg\" height=\"435\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Pictured: The house after Bracknell Forest Council ordered her to tear the fence down<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/09\/11\/78418789-12809617-Mrs_Hale_pictured_with_her_dog_Benji_with_a_gate_to_keep_him_fro-a-17_1702122536614.jpg\" height=\"465\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mrs Hale pictured with her dog Benji, with a gate to keep him from running into the road<\/p>\n<p>Mrs Hale retrospectively applied for planning permission, but her application was refused and she was forced to tear down her small fence.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs Hale told MailOnline:\u00a0&#8216;My husband and I put it up about four years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;We did it for safety, so the dog cannot get out. Now I am picking up the poo from everybody else&#8217;s dogs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Apparently this piece of ground here is for amenities&#8217;, Mrs Hale recalled, pointing to her front garden.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;But I said, we are keeping it nice. I said to the man, &#8216;I am looking after your piece of grass here.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking from her home, retired school cleaner Mrs Hale pointed out how other neighbours have been allowed to keep fences.<\/p>\n<p>Referring to the neighbour who complained about the fence, Mrs Hale commented: &#8216;Whoever this lady or man is, God forgive her. Because I do, I forgive her.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/09\/11\/78418781-12809617-Mrs_Hale_told_MailOnline_My_husband_and_I_put_it_up_about_four_y-a-18_1702122536615.jpg\" height=\"510\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mrs Hale told MailOnline: &#8216;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 dog poo from everybody else&#8217;s dogs&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/09\/11\/78418775-12809617-Neighbours_had_rallied_around_the_Hales_with_local_resident_Mari-a-19_1702122536616.jpg\" height=\"612\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Neighbours had rallied around the Hales, with local resident Marion Sumpton having distributed a petition urging the council to reconsider their decision<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/09\/11\/78418785-12809617-She_claimed_other_dogs_had_gone_to_the_toilet_on_her_garden_sinc-a-20_1702122536617.jpg\" height=\"450\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>She claimed other dogs had gone to the toilet on her garden since it was removed from her bungalow in Bracknell, Berkshire<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/30\/12\/78418787-0-image-a-28_1701346258928.jpg\" height=\"743\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Margaret Rose Hale had received a notice ordering her to tear up her grey picket fence or face a fine of \u00a31,000, after a complaint from an unknown neighbour was submitted to the council<\/p>\n<p>But other neighbours had rallied around the Hales, with local resident Marion Sumpton having distributed a petition urging the council to reconsider their decision.<\/p>\n<p>The petition read: &#8216;Fences contribute positively to property values by enhancing curb appeal and providing privacy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;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.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Mrs Hale said she was pleased by the petition, adding: &#8216;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.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>MailOnline has contacted the Bracknell Forest Council for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12809617\/woman-demolish-fence-council-neighbour-complains.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawn and order! Elderly woman, 72, forced to demolish 3ft picket fence and threatened with \u00a31,000 fine by jobsworth council after single mystery neighbour complains EXCLUSIVE: Margaret Hale, 72, was&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>I had to tear down my 3ft fence after my mystery neighbour complained - lovemainstream.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/world-news\/i-had-to-tear-down-my-3ft-fence-after-my-mystery-neighbour-complained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I had to tear down my 3ft fence after my mystery neighbour complained - lovemainstream.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lawn and order! 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