A bitter war has broken out between neighbours living in a leafy upmarket suburb – over a blocked footpath.
Tempers have flared, residents have been abused and threatened in the street and police have been called to deal with the furore.
The ruckus began when a wall blew down in a storm last October blocking a well-used public footpath that runs between two exclusive £1.2m homes.
A 10ft wire fence was erected so the owners of the property could clear the path and carry out repairs.
But almost a year on nothing has been done to clear the rubble from the wall and storm-damaged fencing bordering the house and the alleyway remains closed.
Residents living in Woodland Drive, Hove are livid and have complained to the council demanding repair work be carried out immediately to reopen the public right of way.
But they say they are being intimidated by the neighbour who lives on the other side of the footpath who is now opposing the reopening of the path.
At a public meeting last Friday (Sept 13) at the entrance to the alley he angrily harangued councillors and neighbours and drowned out complaints.
Many residents say they are so fed up with the long-running conflict they are thinking of selling their homes.
One resident, who declined to be named, said: ‘This used to be a really lovely place to live and these are all very desirable properties but it is like a war zone round here at the moment.
‘People have been threatened, they have been intimidated and sworn at if they go anywhere near the fence. It’s been a total nightmare.’
Sussex Police has been called to deal with the furore at least twice in the past 10 days.
Another resident said: ‘I’ve been screamed at in the street and verbally abused in front of my children.
‘It’s absolutely shocking what has been going on and yet the police seem powerless to act.
‘I am seriously thinking about whether I want to live in an area where there is so much conflict. It’s not healthy.’
A third resident said: ‘I don’t want to put my head above the parapet because the threats and intimidation are too serious to take lightly. We’ve been in touch with the police about it.’
Another man, who would only give his name as Charles, said: ‘It’s got out of hand and now one family is taking the law into its own hands.
‘I think the police need to take action before the matter becomes more inflamed.’
The path is still blocked by rubble from a wall and storm-damaged fencing bordering 56 Woodland Drive.
In a comment Cllr Trevor Muten of Brighton & Hove City Council said the council aimed to reopen the public footpath in days rather than weeks.
He said: ‘We now intend to issue a section 78 notice under the Building Act 1984 which gives us, as the local authority, the power to remove dangerous structures.
‘This is the quickest, most practical solution to getting the footpath reopened as soon as possible following the legal process.’
He said that rather than the owner, the council would carry out the works and erect fencing on both sides of the footpath to cover any gaps and safety risks.
‘We then intend to put up CCTV cameras to monitor the path and reinstate the public footpath signage.
‘Any signs remaining that indicate the footpath is private are incorrect and will be removed.
‘We will then reopen the path,’ he said. ‘We hope all this can be done in days, rather than weeks.
‘We accept we should have acted sooner but we have now made this a priority and are working to get this path opened as soon as possible.
‘This is a much-loved footpath and is there to be used and enjoyed by local residents and I’m determined this is done quickly.’
The occupants of the house were approached for comment but declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: ‘Police are investigating a report of threats made outside an address in Woodland Drive, Hove, at about 5.30pm on September 13.
‘Witnesses or anyone with any information or footage is asked to contact police online or call 101 quoting serial 117 of 14/09.’