Gardener must pay £12,000 to neighbour in dispute over apples

Following a row over an apple tree, a gardening enthusiast has been ordered to pay £12,000 to a neighbour whom she harassed for seven years.

A Central London County Court heard Barbara Pilcher sued her neighbour, Antoinette Williams - who was likened to a "school bully". The court heard Mrs Williams, who is a member of the Dunsfold and Hascombe Horticultural Society, moved into her £600,000 cottage in Dunsfold, near Godalming, almost 40 years ago, while Mrs Pilcher bought the adjoining £500,000 cottage in 2010.

The pair's dispute began in 2014 and the women clashed over Mrs Williams' refusal to cut back her 40ft Bramley apple tree. This meant, "sometimes-rotting" fruit fell over the fence into Mrs Pilcher's garden.

The court heard that a subsequent harassment campaign by Mrs Williams involved a range of incidents, including Mrs Williams repeatedly peering in through Mrs Pilcher's windows, "monitoring" her comings and goings and even following her neighbour's relatives after they had visited.

The allegations were denied by Mrs Williams, but Judge Lawrence Cohen QC rejected her claims and said her behaviour was "completely abnormal and disturbing", adding the conduct "reminds me of bullying behaviour by school children."

Following a five-day trial, Judge Cohen ruled in favour of Mrs Pilcher, a ruling which could see Mrs Williams hit with a costs and damages bill of around £250,000.  The judge said: "My conclusion about this incident is therefore that Mrs Williams' conduct can fairly be described as vandalism. It was deliberately aimed at upsetting Mrs Pilcher and I find it fairly characterised as disgraceful."

He stated that the seven-year campaign of harassment had had a serious impact and lasting on Mrs Pilcher and her family, saying: "She dreads coming home, her daughter does not want to stay with her anymore and other young family members either do not want to visit her or, if they are brought to visit, need to be sheltered from the offensive conduct."

He awarded Mrs Pilcher £12,000 for harassment and ordered Mrs Williams to pay costs estimated at between £135,000 and £180,000 towards her neighbour's lawyers' fees, on top of her own legal bills.

Whitestone Solicitors

Rochdale