State pensioner sued for blocking neighbour’s Land Rover | UK | News
Peter and Kelly Leonard’s home in Lower Felemere Court, near Shrewsbury (Image: Mirror/Champion News)
A retired shepherd girl prevailed in part but faces high legal costs in a long-running dispute with neighbors over the gate to her small farm.
Charollais sheep breeder Muriel Whiston, 80, installed new gates along the common path at the entrance to her small farm and put up a sign instructing them to be kept closed “at all times” to protect her flock.
Neighbors Peter Leonard, 42, and his wife Kelly, 46, who run a rabbit warren in Baschurch, near Shrewsbury, argued the gate was interfering with their right of way and preventing delivery drivers from returning. They also claimed this prevented Ms Leonard from reversing her Land Rover Defender 130, forcing her to “engage in a multi-point turning maneuver to point in the correct direction”.
The couple took Ms Whiston to Birmingham District Court, demanding the gate and sign be removed. The applicants alleged that the door, along with his alleged “abusive” behaviour, caused an “unreasonable interference” with their access.
The couple has four young children who use the courtyard to play (Image: Mirror/)
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Ms Whiston denied any involvement and insisted she had the right to “politely” tell delivery drivers and visitors to close the door after use. He also countersued to order the Leonards to keep the barn door closed and prevent their animals from mixing with their sheep.
In September 2024, Judge Sarah Watson ruled that the sign was unreasonable and should be replaced, but found that the door could remain and Ms Whiston’s behavior was not “malicious”. A request to force the neighbors to keep the barn door closed was also denied.
The argument continued in the Supreme Court, where Mr Justice Green dismissed the objections from both parties. He argued that Ms Whiston should pay legal costs, which are expected to run into six figures.
The judge said: “It is extremely regrettable that this matter has not been resolved out of court and that so much time and money has been spent on this dispute, disproportionate to the issues at stake.”
The court heard Ms Whiston’s family owned the farm and adjoining land before she was born. The property was divided in 1996; Mrs. Whiston kept a bungalow and part of the land for her sheep; The Leonards bought the main farmhouse, outbuildings and 33 acres of land in 2017 for around £900,000.
There was already a gate across the road to stop the sheep escaping, but this was often left open until disputes arose during the Covid outbreak.
Mr Justice Green said: “Delivery drivers will either have to make multi-point turns on hard ground or reverse dangerously across the track, which they do very slowly, thus causing further obstruction.”
According to The Telegraph, he dismissed neighbours’ objection to the 2024 decision as well as Ms Whiston’s objection to having to pay legal costs, saying the couple were “clear winners in this case” despite having lost on some issues.
