A homeowner, who is known as a retired mathematics teacher and lives in the village of Greenhead in Northumberland, is facing a directive from the council to demolish his recently constructed £12,000 ( about to faint $15,000) garden wall.
Mason commissioned the expensive wall during the summer to replace a deteriorating fence bordering his garden.
He purposely built the wall lower than the original fence for safety reasons, preventing people from sitting on it and potentially toppling over the steep drop.
However, his wall received a single complaint. The council officials immediately demanded that he either lower it by 'eight inches' or face its demolition instead of the initial 20cm suggested.
However, Mason and his wife Sharon are both pensioners, so they are concerned about the lack of financial means to fund the rebuilding.
Describing the situation, Mason expressed frustration, stating, 'It is lower than the rickety fence it replaced. Northumberland County Council has told us that they are now going to bulldoze it down unless we pay to have it lowered by eight inches."
Although the elder couple built the wall at 1.2m externally, it complies with health and safety considerations due to a 2m drop into the garden onto rocks.
Mason also emphasized that: 'At 1.2 m, walkers and drunk people cannot sit on it and topple over, but at 1m high, which is the planning stipulation, the situation is far more perilous.
However, the couple faces financial challenges; they said that rebuilding the wall is not feasible for them.
The elderly couple admitted that they were pensioners and were unable to afford the reconstruction costs. So, they didn't have £12,000 to rebuild the wall, as the council demanded.
Mason said that the violation of regulations: 'Because the wooden fence was much taller than it's stone replacement, we had no idea it or the new wall would contravene their regulations.'
Mason lamented that he didn't know who complained about his will to the council. He claimed they had some strange ideas.
He expressed his dismay when discussing the situation, emphasizing that the new wall is not only nicer but also safer than before.
He said: 'Ironic too that we live in what's called Hadrian's Wall Country.'
Additionally, a spokesperson from Northumberland County Council said that Mason's wall was on the property without planning permission. The council requested the couple remove the wall as it was found to be attached to a listed bridge, making it unacceptable
He said, 'Most of the fences and walls in the village are above 6 feet in height, but because they have stood for more than four years, they are exempt from the planning laws. The whole thing is barmy.'
