Pig-sick Jim Butcher is so fed up with council bureaucrats stopping him from building on his land that he is turning it over to trotters instead.

Mr Butcher's land, situated between properties in the affluent Hall Road in Rochford is now ready to receive its first herd of pigs.

The Thorpe Bay builder claims he is perfectly within his rights to keep the livestock in protest, because the land is classified as agricultural green belt.

He said: "For the last 15 years Rochford District Council has stopped me building on that land and refused every planning application I have put in. I applied for planning permission a couple of times, and I was not successful.

"I tried to rebuild a barn which had been there since 1936, went through two appeals and they fought me tooth and nail, so now I'm putting pigs on there.

"I have had people complaining, neighbourhood watch, and environmental officers visiting, but they are going on there, because the council has caused so much trouble and grief.

"I see the council building on playing fields and areas of natural beauty, and then they won't let me do anything to land which is supposed to be built on."

Residents living opposite and next door to the plot had conflicting views on the council's decision.

A man living opposite the plot who didn't wish to be named, said: "Why they can't build a nice house there I don't know - I don't blame him at all for putting the pigs there. If the council owned the land there would soon be a property on it."

But a next door neighbour, who also declined to be named said pigs could be the best thing for the plot.

She said: "At the end of the day, green belt is green belt.

"If they make an exception for one person they would have to do it for all the plots on this road, and there are a lot of them.

"I would rather see pigs on there than a house - I am not worried about them."

Steve Heading, head of planning services at Rochford District Council, said: "We have considered the matter, and none of the activities require planning permission, but we will be monitoring the situation carefully."

Angry - Jim Butcher has his Rochford site all ready for the first pigs

Picture: MIKE BELLENIE

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