A single mother is waging a six-month battle with a housing developer which is building on land next to her home.

Helen Cosgrave claims that Barratt Eastern Counties has taken four feet of her garden and knocked down her fence.

But the firm denies it has done anything wrong and says it is still waiting for evidence to the contrary.

Ms Cosgrave, of Thorpe Road, Kirby Cross, said her health had suffered because of the situation and she had spent the last of her savings on the case.

She said: "At the end of the day, there is only so much you can do and they know you do not have the money or the resources to take them on."

Ms Cosgrave said that despite promises that work on her side of the site would not begin until the matter was sorted out legally, the bulldozers moved in and crushed her fence just feet away from her stables where she has four hourses.

She had it put back up only for it to be knocked down again.

The houses are being put up on the former Branwhites Garage site in Kirby.

A spokeswoman for Barratt said that the company had asked the Land Registry to check and confirm the dimensions of the site layout at Barley Meadow, Kirby.

She said these agreed with the title and conveyancing deeds to which the firm has ownership.

"We have requested Ms Cosgrave's legal advisers to provide some documentary proof which would give her argument some firm basis, but to date have received nothing," the spokeswoman added

Published Thursday, January 23, 2003

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