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Police were called last month when Julia Hartley, 53, erected a 4ft-high trellis fence along with a sign that read “Private 14-8”. The fence blocked a shared path used by 14 residents at the back of terraced cottages on Common Road in Evesham, Worcestershire.

The path allowed residents to have easy access to their terraced homes and many elderly residents prefer using the walkway to avoid going down steep steps at the front of the houses which were built 150 years ago.

The trellis has now mysteriously been torn down and dumped on the path, but 10 residents are preparing to go to court to ban any fencing being put up in future.

Neighbour Joanne Kitchen, 45, said: “For us to go out now we have to go up steps. If someone in a wheelchair or even the emergency services needed access they could not get through.

“It is a right of way on all our deeds. It is all getting a bit contentious and it has made things really horrible.

“[Ms Hartley] tells us she has been here for 30 years so why this is suddenly a problem now I’m not sure. We think she just does not want people walking past her home, but she doesn’t have a choice.

“Because of how close the homes are, we all know each other and during lockdown, everyone helped everyone, we would play a bit of music and have some socially-distant dancing in the mornings.

“There is one elderly neighbour who does not come out to join us so much now, she can’t get through and doesn’t like the idea of walking all the way around.”

Fellow resident Holly Edwards added: “I’ve lived here for more than 30 years and this path is a feature of this road, not an inconvenience.

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“During lockdown, my friend at number five, on the opposite side of this fence, was a real lifesaver so this makes it a bit more personal for me.”

Another neighbour Hannah Owen said: “It feels like bullying, my little girls keep saying they just want things to get back to normal. We find it very sad.”

West Mercia Police said: “At around 8pm on June 25 we were called to reports of a neighbour dispute over access at Common Road, Evesham. This is a civil matter however, our Safer Neighbourhood Team is engaging with all parties.”

Ms Hartley declined to comment.

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