A couple were forced to dip into their daughter's university fund to help foot a £125,000 legal bill after the construction of a wooden bin shed sparked a bitter feud with their neighbours.
In 2020, Kevin and Elizabeth Harrison-Ellis purchased their bungalow in the South Oxfordshire town of Goring-on-Thames and set out to add an additional floor to their new home.
Despite the move impacting their view, neighbours Stuart and Anita Hunt initially did not file a complaint over the plans.
However, the Harrison-Ellises' decision to add a wooden bin store turned out to be straw which broke the camel's back, with the Hunts objecting and launching legal action against their neighbours.
The bitter legal dispute between the neighbours ended up in the High Court
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The legal dispute ended up in the High Court, with the neighbours arguing the "visual amenity" from their £2.3million home had been lost and the extended bungalow was "unsightly".
A High Court judge ruled that the Harrison-Ellises were allowed to keep the changes to their home, but they were ordered to pay the Hunts £25,000 in compensation.
Mr Harrison-Ellis said that the five-year-long legal battle cost the couple more than £100,000 in total.
He said: "I regret it massively. We never wanted to be put in this position, we were stuck.
A High Court judge ruled that the Harrison-Ellises were allowed to keep the changes to their home (file photo)
| GETTY"We have had to spend all of our daughter's university fees which we were saving for.
"All our savings are gone just to try and defend our home."
High Court documents noted that the couple had previously been made aware of the building restrictions in place at the property before they purchased it.
These restrictions prohibited the construction of anything more than a single-storey building on the land that both the Harrison-Ellises and Hunts' homes used to share on a single plot.
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The couple looking to extend initially went to their neighbour's homes to inform them of their intention to add another floor, but discovered that the Hunts rented out their home.
The pair enlisted the help of the estate agent that sold them their home, who subsequently wrote a letter to the Hunts, which read: "Ideally, with your permission, we would like to have the covenants removed and work alongside yourselves and the architect to come up with the best solution for all.
"We are happy to email or to bring the documentation reference covenants for you to see."
High Court documents revealed that the couple did not respond to the letter.
Kevin and Elizabeth Harrison-Ellis purchased their bungalow in the South Oxfordshire town of Goring-on-Thames
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After hearing no response, the Harrison-Ellises went ahead and applied for planning permission to construct "a first floor extension with roof changed, new porch, and new roof above garage".
Work on the property began in June 2020 after the application was given the green light.
In the ruling, the High Court judge said: "In our judgment any carelessness or naivety on the part of the applicants is far outweighed by the unfairness of the objectors' behaviour."
Discussing the outcome, Mr Harrison-Ellis said: "It's not nice after fighting for two-and-half years - but in a way we get to keep the house that we built."
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