Reedham man finds garden gate blocked by mystery fence

But last week he was surprised to find the entrance completely blocked by a high chain-link fence built on the far side, hemming him in to his garden.

He believes the mystery barrier was built as the latest salvo in a dispute with another villager over a piece of land on the far side of the gate.

CCTV captured the moment a chain link fence was installed to block access to the footpath from David Breeze's garden (Image: David Breeze)

'ALL VERY PETTY'

The gate opens on to the public footpath, which runs directly behind his home, in Reedham.

But to reach it he must cross a strip of land, which is owned by Chris Mutton, a parish councillor.

He has accused Mr Breeze of trespassing on private land by crossing it.

Mr Breeze, who lives at his home with his wife, admits he does have to trespass to get to the path. 

However, the contested piece of land is just 90cm wide.

The 80-year-old said: "It all seems very petty."

Reedham, a village on the Broads and next to the River Yare, is known for its swing bridge and chain ferry (Image: Mike Page)

He said he saw the fence being put up and recognised the man doing it as Mr Mutton's son, Jake.

"I saw his son fix it up on Sunday afternoon and then drive off. I captured it all on CCTV," he added.

The fence blocked Mr Breeze's access to the public footpath next to his garden (Image: David Breeze)

"He put two posts on either side of the gate then attached the fence so it just blocked my access through as opposed to running along the whole boundary. It certainly feels personal.

"When I saw Mr Mutton [Snr] a few days later he just smiled and waved as if nothing happened.

"Fortunately the fence was raised so at least hedgehogs could continue to come and go."

Mr Breeze outside his gate where the chain-link fence was erected to block his access to the footpath (Image: Owen Sennitt)

NEW TWIST

Seven days after the chain-link fence was put up, however, there was a fresh twist in the saga when it was removed, leaving just the posts in place.

Mr Breeze, a former building surveyor, said he did not remove the barrier and does not know who did.

He says it happened while he was away for the weekend and none of his neighbours saw who was responsible.

Mr Breeze joked that he was "disappointed" to see it go as he was "enjoying all the comments from people walking by".

"The gate was mainly used by my grandson," he added.

"He used it as a shortcut to get to my home from his to avoid going on roads."

Mr Breeze surveys the aftermath of the fence being removed by an unknown person (Image: Owen Sennitt)

BAD BLOOD

Mr Breeze has lived at his home for 23 years and put in the gate five years ago, when the footpath was created.

He initially opposed the creation of the path, worrying he would lose privacy. However, he has since grown to like it.

He believes the recent bad blood comes from disagreements during his time as a member of Reedham Parish Council, alongside Mr Mutton Snr, as well as his concerns about a new housing development on land on the far side of the footpath.

An aerial view of the footpath route in Reedham (Image: Google)

The path runs along the edge of a large field owned by Mr Mutton which has been earmarked for 27 new homes.

This will be an expansion of a previous scheme, Barn Owl Close, built by developer Badger Building.

As part of the next phase, the developer wants to re-route the footpath.

However, this has proved a controversial point and Mr Breeze is among those to object.

Currently, the path runs along the northern boundary by Yareview Close before going across a field to connect with Cliff Close.

In a letter submitted to Broadland Council, he said: "I am sure that I speak for the majority of Reedham residents who would rather see this footpath remain and not be diverted onto a road.

The entrance to the footpath from Barn Owl Close, which runs past Mr Breeze's garden (Image: Owen Sennitt)

"Pleasant green rural footpaths which are also very useful wildlife corridors are cherished by residents and should not be allowed to turn a rural environment into an urban one."

His view echoed that of Norfolk County Council's public rights of way team, who have called for the route to be maintained and for the layout of the housing scheme to be redesigned around the footpath.

Mr Breeze said: "I have no objections to the houses being built, just to where the best place for them is."

The footpath continues through the land owned by Mr Mutton earmarked for 27 new homes (Image: Owen Sennitt)

Mr Mutton declined to comment but his son Jake has said the fence was erected at the request of Badger Building.

Justin Coote, director of the company said the 90cm section "is on private land" and he did not wish to comment further.

The entrance to Barn Owl Close off Station Road in Reedham (Image: Owen Sennitt)

The footpath leads to the Barn Owl Close development (Image: Owen Sennitt)