AN award-winning gardener forced to pay £200,000 to her neighbour after being sued over an apple tree now wishes she was FRIENDS with her nemesis.
Antoinette Williams, 70, may be forced to sell her house after she was taken to court by Barbara Pilcher, 68, following a catalogue of simmering disagreements stretching back to 2014.
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Mrs Pilcher was furious about the maintenance of a wooden fence, a foul-smelling compost bin in Mrs Williams’s garden and rotting apples that dropped over the fence.
She said the apples attracted swarms of wasps and that she had to be taken to hospital for treatment after a sting due to an allergy.
The sheer number of nasty critters was so bad it left Mrs Pilcher unable to use the bottom of her garden.
And during a trial at Central London County Court last year, she accused her neighbour of harassment, claiming Mrs Williams had been peering through her windows and watching her comings and goings.
She also said the gardener would creepily stand and stare at her over the fence.
Recorder Lawrence Cohen QC ruled in her favour and said Mrs Williams must pay £12,000 in damages and 75 per cent of Mrs Pilcher’s legal costs – a whopping £90,000.
She had to remove the compost bin and now must pay for a tree surgeon to prune the apple tree every year.
Last week Mrs Williams tried to get the order overturned in the High Court saying the original trial judge had made errors which resulted in an unjust ruling and unfair costs.
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Her legal representatives claimed photos that appeared to show that Mrs Williams had blocked a passageway between their houses had been fabricated by Mrs Pilcher.
But Mr Justice Soole rejected the request for a new trial saying there was no hope any of her arguments would overturn the ruling, leaving her facing total costs of £200,000.
Mrs Williams said may now have to sell her £600,000 cottage in the village of Dunsfold, near Godalming in Surrey, to pay her monster legal bill.
She has lived in the charming house for 40 years.
Mrs Williams told The Sun: “Absolutely devastated that it’s come to this and I may have to sell my home. I only have a state pension to survive on.
“There is only one word for it. This was a happy home. My hand was forced to make the agreement, but I will abide by it.”
Neither Mrs Williams nor Mr Scott-Plumber have much hope of being able to repair the relationship following the gaping schism between the households in posh Surrey.
But Mrs Williams insists she would like to get along with all her neighbours.
She pleaded: “That is my definite belief sadly, because I would love nothing more than to have a more amicable relationship with all my neighbours as I have in the past.”
Andrew Scott-Plumber, 78, a retired solicitor and friend of Mrs Williams, has been helping her through the eight-year legal battle.
I would love nothing more than to have a more amicable relationship with all my neighbours as I have in the past
Antoinette Williams
Mr Scott-Plummer said: “It has been eight years now and things are no better I’m afraid. I do not hold out any hope that things will improve.”
She added: “He [Scott-Plumber] has been with me all the way. I did not feel there was any basis to the claim. I could not afford solicitors for starters.
“Andrew very kindly did it for a bottle of wine. But when litigation plonked on my doorstep a retired solicitor could not act so I had to get a barrister.
“The first barrister had a stroke so we then had to go back to square one.”
Mrs Pilcher bought the cottage next door in 2010 for £500,000.
Asked about how their relationship started, Mrs Williams said: “She moved in and I gave her a welcome to the village and invited her to meet all sorts of friends, I became a key keeper, I fed her cat.”
The relationship soured in 2014 over a boundary dispute. She said the wooden fence separating the gardens was 42cm off the original design, favouring Mrs Williams.
Since then, the issues piled up and culminated in last week’s High Court rebuttal.
Mrs Pilcher was unavailable for comment.
What are your rights in a boundary dispute with neighbours?
Fences are a growing source of disputes between neighbours
Outdoor space not only provides a precious getaway, it can also increase your house value if you want to sell the property.
That means it important to protect your space and know what you can do if anything crosses the boundary of your land.
Check the boundary
Boundary lines vary on a case by case basis – it’s not always true that your boundary is on a particular side of your property.
Finding the boundary of your property should be the first step.
This can be done by checking the deeds to a property.
If you haven’t already got these, you can purchase them from the Land Registry on the government’s website for £3.
This will show the layout and boundaries of the land you own.
Note that you can also purchase a neighbour’s title deeds to see whether any extra property boundaries are outlined in theirs that aren’t in yours.
Sometimes, a T will be marked on a property line to denote responsibility for the boundary.
Try a mediation service
If you are sure that the fence was built on your land after checking the boundary lines, you can speak to your neighbour and ask them to reposition the fence in the correct place.
To avoid future hostile situations with your neighbour, it’s best to keep tensions low by talking things out if possible.
If you really can’t see eye to eye on the matter, mediation services could be a good place to go as they’re cheaper than court costs.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors offers a mediation service, helping neighbours resolve disputes about boundary lines and related issues.
Can I remove the fence?
As any encroachment on land belonging to you can be considered trespassing – and vice versa too.
You should never go onto another person’s private property without their permission.
If your neighbour fails to act, you could take court action against them but that is likely to be costly and stressful.
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