Council relied on Google screenshots in dispute with pensioner over garden

Summarised from Derbyshire Live's report · Updated 23 Oct, 06:38 · Archive

A council used Google Street View screenshots as evidence in a three-year legal dispute with a retired teacher over garden access.

Derbyshire County Council installed a metal fence panel across a gap in the rear garden wall of Helene Ball, aged 81, on 26 April 2023. The fence blocked access to land Mrs Ball had crossed for 59 years without restriction. The council took this action as part of its plans to sell and build homes on the former Cavendish Road car park, which sits behind her property.

Following a three-year dispute, a tribunal court judge ruled in favour of Mrs Ball in September and granted her immediate prescriptive easement rights. The council has since been challenged over its conduct in the case, with Mrs Ball's son filing a complaint that includes internal council emails obtained through Freedom of Information and subject access requests. The documents challenge the council's portrayal of events, which it has made through public statements and radio broadcasts.

Read the report

• Council used four Google screenshots as evidence in battle with pensioner over garden accessDerbyshire County Council said it would only remove a fence installed across Helene Ball's wall if she started legal action, and has since said it was merely a respondent in the ensuing court battleDerbyshire Live · 23 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Helene Ball · Derbyshire County Council · Matlock · Cavendish Road

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