We’re being tormented by neighbour who says we built fence 4 inches into her garden – we’re taking legal action
A COUPLE say they are being tormented by their neighbour who claims they built a fence four inches into her garden.
Laureen Watson, 65, has gone to war with businessman Chris Cole, 38, and his partner Ami Komoda, 37, in Chiswick, west London.
She wants a court order forcing her neighbours to tear down their new extension, plus an injunction barring the couple or their builders from straying onto her land.
Ms Watson, who was the director of a beauty company, is also seeking compensation for alleged damage done during construction works.
But Mr Cole and Ms Komoda, who have been involved in growing several start-ups, are countersuing.
The pair claim they have been victims of a campaign of harassment which has ruined their enjoyment of their first years as new parents.
They blame Ms Watson’s “disgraceful” behaviour for the neighbours’ row and are demanding that she is made to pay their substantial lawyers’ bills for having to fight the “ultimately trivial” and “wholly unnecessary” dispute.
The couple claim they have been “tormented” by their neighbour, who they say went as far as to threaten to “shower them” with “cat s***” amidst the dispute – but Ms Watson denies she is to blame for the row.
Mayor’s and City County Court heard they moved into the terraced house next to Ms Watson in 2013, but friction developed the following year when the couple set about building a new fence when the old one blew down.
She took issue with the couple over the position of the boundary line between their homes and the siting of their new fence, said the couple’s barrister Thomas Rothwell.
They had to rebuild it in 2019 after she allegedly inflicted “wilful damage”.
Tensions had been cranked up when Mr Cole and Ms Komoda decided to extend their home into the garden in 2018.
There were unsuccessful objections to the council from Ms Watson about planning permission – and later on about her neighbours building on the line of the party wall.
Mr Cole and Ms Komoda claim their neighbour responded to their formal letter notifying that the works would be carried out by “throwing it back over the fence”.
She also passed a note through their letter box reading: “You got my response in the letter. Don’t come back to my door again”.
When builders started work on their extension in May 2019, Mr Cole and Ms Komoda claim they were again targeted by complaints from Ms Watson, although the site scaffolding “protruded only minimally” and “did not touch or otherwise interfere with her house”.
And when the work got underway, Ms Watson allegedly demanded that the scaffolding be taken down, “screamed and shouted abuse”, and “threw buckets of water and other debris in the direction of their builders”.
However, Ms Watson says that her neighbours unlawfully removed an iron fence post and were responsible for causing damage to the tune of £32,000 to her home of 25 years while developing their home and garden.
The couple insist their builders “kept well away from Ms Watson’s land” when carrying out snagging works and their barrister said they have done their utmost to tackle any differences in a “neighbourly spirit”.
After a two-day trial, Judge Parfitt reserved his judgement on the case until a later date.