A MAN dubbed the "neighbour from hell" has built a giant fence down the middle of the drive he shares with the couple next door.
The 3ft high structure means Chris and Millie Adams can no longer get in and out of their cars while parked on the gravel – and have to move both vehicles just to take the bins out, they claim.
One neighbour alleges the fence was built after the two warring houses rowed over parking.
But the furious newlyweds, who moved into the £275,000 property 12 months ago, say there is so little space even their tiny French Bulldog struggles to squeeze past.
Chris, a business analyst, said: "This was meant to be our dream home – but it’s like living in a nightmare.
"The fence is blocking us from getting our bins out and we can't open the passenger door fully.
"We loved it when we moved in. We thought we’d be here for years and raise our family.
"Those plans have been absolutely ruined. If you can’t be happy at home, where can you be?"
Admin worker Millie added: "We worked so hard to purchase this property but now we detest it and can't bear to spend any time in the hell house.
"I'd rather go back to living on a council estate. That's where we were before and our neighbours were lovely.
"It's a really s*** situation."
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Chris said neighbour Matthew Carter told them about his plans for the fence on December 6.
Despite asking for a "mediation meeting" to talk things through, he claims construction began the following week and the fence has been extended every weekend since.
Most of the fence – which is 3ft high down the middle and more than 6ft at the bottom of the drive – is finally up.
However, the couple fear it will eventually extend along the entire length of their shared drive in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, "trapping" them in.
Chris said: "Millie can’t get into the passenger side unless I drive the car forward.
"But if I leave more space on that side, then I have to get out on our other neighbour’s front garden.
"They might say the fence has been built along the boundary but that doesn’t mean that they should do it. We have a right of access.
"It’s a very disrespectful and passive-aggressive thing to do."
Heating engineer Mr Carter declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
'WE HATE COMING HOME'
The back and forth between the neighbours, which has been going on for almost a year, has become so bad that police have been called.
The force in Northamptonshire said it was aware of "ongoing issues between the two parties" but officers were not investigating any criminal matters.
Millie, who battles a condition which causes stress to worsen pain in her body, said: "Since we moved in they keep coming over about petty little things.
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"Both sides have got the police involved, but we wanted to go to mediation to sort things out once and for all."
The stress of the dispute has left both Chris and Millie struggling with their mental health and worried to stay in the house.
"It has made us feel scared, anxious, depressed," Chris said. "We hate coming home and would rather stay out for as long as possible.
This was meant to be our dream home – but it’s like living in a nightmare.
"It has also made us massively fearful for our animals. The constant wood cutting and banging is terrifying them.
"We both work from home due to the pandemic which means we are constantly in a place we hate, and it's all because of them.
"If this carries on, I really don't know what we will do. Every day feels like survival rather than living."
When the fence is finished and runs all the way to the top of their drive, Chris said parking will be "near impossible", even for a standard hatchback.
"You won't even be able to fit a stretcher through, which my wife has needed on a couple of occasions," he added.
The couple, who claim the police and council workers have done nothing to help resolve the suburban stand-off, have forked out £750 on solicitor fees to investigate the legality of the fence.
They claim the structure is an escalation of the "harassing" and "intimidating" behaviour they have endured since moving in December 2020.
But even if they decide to sell up, they face losing money on the three-bed as its price "will have gone down considerably", they allege.
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It is unclear if the fence has been built exactly on the border between two the properties, but Adam and Millie have instructed solicitors to look into its legality.
A spokesperson for North Northamptonshire Council said officials were looking into the situation but could not comment further.
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