'I just think it's appalling. We deserve respect'

A HOME owner has been left appalled by a building firm's decision to dig a slope at the bottom of her garden and leave a strip of land "where weeds will grow".

- By KRISTY DAWSON

Christine Santon, 70, and her husband Ernie, 77, have lived in their bungalow in Chapel Park, Newcastle, for the last 18 years.

The property backs onto land which was formerly home to Parkway School. Newcastle City Council, who previously owned the field, would cut the bramble bushes and weeds down twice a year to prevent them from going into the couple's back garden.

Keepmoat now own the grassed area and are building 45 bungalows on it. Christine said the developer told her that the fences of the new properties would back onto her fence and there would be no land left for bushes and weeds to grow.

However when she returned home from a holiday she discovered they had dug downwards on the other side of her fence, leaving a slope. She said she was then told that they were no longer putting the fences back to back.

Christine said they are concerned about the stability of their land as their block paving has moved and they will have bushes and weeds coming into their garden as nobody will be able to tend to the land trapped between the properties.

She said: "I just think it's appalling. We want a bit of respect. They told us about the fences, approved that that was going to happen, and have totally turned it around. They are not interested.

"The only concern we raised was the problem we'd had in the past with the weeds. What will happen behind our fence? They said 'Don't worry about it, the fences will be back to back with your fences. If we need to relay any fences for you we will do.