It is a village row where not many people are sitting on the fence...
Locals in an area of Worlingham are falling foul of little-known planning rules over the height of their garden fences, after a council investigation sparked by a tip-off by a mystery member of the public.
Officials have ordered the owners of at least two homes in the village to tear down their boundaries, in rulings which have got other neighbours reaching for their tape measures and wondering who triggered the original inquisition.
East Suffolk Council says that all fences on properties lining main roads should be less than one metre in height.
They received a complaint from an unknown individual saying that the new fence on one of the properties on Highland Drive, in the western end of Worlingham, near Beccles, was over the limit.
Officials agreed and, in May 2022, served an enforcement notice ordering the structure be removed.
But 15 months on, the fence is still standing with the owners - who have asked not to be named - locked in a legal wrangle with the council after appealing against the decision.
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The case, however, has triggered further inquiries, with the owners pointing out other nearby fences which are a similar height to their own, in order to strengthen their case.
Now, a second home - a one-minute walk away from Highland Drive, on Worrell Drive - has received an enforcement notice telling the owners to take down their fence, which they put up last year.
The owners, who also asked not to be named, said they had been close to removing the structure but - after speaking with the residents on Highland Drive - had decided to stand firm and also appeal against the order.
They said the rule was "ludicrous" and that they felt "targeted" and "picked" on.
They say the fence replaced an earlier one of a similar size, which had stood for 13 years and attracted no complaints.
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"I cannot believe the council think that our old and broken fence was tidier than this, new one," the owner said.
"It makes no sense to me at all. We replaced the broken fence to keep the appearance of our home on the road tidy."
The council say the structure is new, not a replacement, and that it is therefore subject to planning permission, which is "unlikely" to be granted due to its height.
Others in the area seem sympathetic to the owners.
One neighbour, in his 80s, said: "I say live and let live. It just seems ridiculous, the fence does no harm and looks tidy.
"What doesn't look tidy are these verges which the council have given up cutting. They are far less tidy than our neighbour's fences.
"The council should spend the money on things which actually matter."
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Locals in Highland Drive also seemed to support their neighbour's oversized fence.
"There was a broken fence and unmaintained hedge and the garden was always full of litter.
"It made the estate look awful, so I have no problem with the [new] fence because it is a breath of fresh air."
Some, however, sided with the council.
One resident said: "At the end of the day, whether we like them or not, rules are rules and we all have to abide by.
"People need to suck it up and shouldn't think they are above them."
East Suffolk Council declined to comment while the case remains open.
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