COURTS

£475k row over a fence costs family their home

One neighbour has been jailed and lumbered with a huge legal bill in a bitter boundary dispute
Janice Turner objected to the removal of a fence and erection of a brick wall by Mark and Louise Coates
Janice Turner objected to the removal of a fence and erection of a brick wall by Mark and Louise Coates

A father of five who was jailed and hit with a £475,000 legal bill after a dispute over a garden fence must now sell the family home.

Mark Coates and his wife, Louise, have been embroiled in a bitter row with Brian Greenwood and Janice Turner over the position of the fence and ownership of a track ­beside their properties in East Sussex. The legal battle arose out of a disagreement that started when the couples became neighbours in 2015.

Each couple has alleged that the other set up “surveillance cameras” to monitor their neighbours, while Coates, 56, who is a full-time carer for his disabled son, was ­accused of swearing and throwing stones.

Brian Greenwood and his partner applied to force their neighbours to sell their home to cover legal costs
Brian Greenwood and his partner applied to force their neighbours to sell their home to cover legal costs
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The couples were warned when they first reached court in 2020