Fenced-in Matlock woman, 81, wins three-year access fight

Image source, LDRS Image caption, Helene Ball said the council had tried to bully her

An 81-year-old has won a three-year battle against a council that fenced across a gap in her garden wall her family had used as access for decades.

Helene Ball - a resident of George Road in Matlock, Derbyshire, since 1967 - took legal action after Derbyshire County Council cemented a metal fence panel blocking the 98cm gated gap between her garden and a council car park in April 2023.

A first-tier tribunal has ruled in Ball's favour over the dispute, after she proved use of the gate since the 1960s.

A right of way has now been established, while the council has been ordered by the courts to pay £50,000 costs and to ensure her access is not impeded again.