'Childish' council ordered to pay £50,000 after blocking pensioner's access to own garden

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Childish' council ordered to pay £50,000 after blocking pensioner's access to own garden.

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A council has been ordered to pay £50,000 after blocking a pensioner's access to her own garden.Helene Ball, 81, from Matlock, emerged victorious from the legal dispute with Derbyshire County Council.The former teacher took the council to court after an incident in April 2023.Council operatives arrived at her home in April 2023 and cemented a metal fencing panel into position, effectively blocking a gap in the wall that had served as her garden entrance for decades.

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TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Ms Ball launched a legal challenge, presenting evidence to a first-tier tribunal that she had used the access point for more than 60 years.The judge accepted her case, establishing a formal right of way across the site and ruling decisively against the local authority.The dispute had been ongoing for more than three years.Reflecting on her ordeal, Ms Ball said: "I have taught nine, 10- and 11-year-olds all my life, but I never expected the council to act so babyish.

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