A man has voiced his anger after placards were ripped from his Cardiff home in what he called "an overnight job" attacking his campaign against his neighbours' extension. Ewen Taylor, of Clare Road in Grangetown, shares a wall with a neighbouring family. The 87-year-old received a £90 fine for criminal damage last September after drilling holes in the wall, which he claims encroaches on his back garden by a couple of inches.
Following the fine he turned to a new form of protest and began displaying messages outside his house criticising the family, who deny any encroachment. The messages include: "You and your cowboy builder are thiefs [sic]" and "Other councils take down illegle [sic] building work."
Mr Taylor woke on Friday to find three of the wooden placards – which he had screwed to a wooden frame in his front garden – were gone. Two had been removed entirely and only a narrow strip of the third remained. A placard attached to his first-floor window was also taken. "They either used a ladder or they are very tall," Mr Taylor told WalesOnline. "Very tall indeed."
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It came after a similar incident on July 9 when a few other signs were taken. Speaking about the latest disappearance Mr Taylor said: "I was popping to the shop in the morning to pick up a paper and I thought: 'Oh my God, the signs are gone.' Disconcerting is a nice way of putting it... It was a real shock to think that somebody had been out here overnight on my property with a ladder stealing my signs. That's very annoying. In fact more than annoying."
The neighbours – a married couple with four children aged eight to 20 – built an extension in 2020 which pushed back their bathroom to create more dining space. Their builders knocked down the old garden wall and built a replacement which is alleged to intrude on the next-door yard by around two inches. One of the family members said last month: "I have no idea why he thinks it is in his property. It is distressing, especially for my children. They are embarrassed to go out when people ask questions about the signs."
There is no suggestion the family were involved in Mr Taylor's placards being removed or damaged. One of the signs – reading "do not like my signs tell the council" – was torn in two and left outside his house. Mr Taylor has since reattached the ripped board to a post outside his house as well as putting up a new message: "Who used a ladder to steal my sign?"
Mr Taylor, who has lived in his home for 50 years, said: "Who can you blame? Someone might have a grudge against my signs. Okay, I can accept that. But as to who and why I cannot help you at all."
South Wales Police told us there is no "ongoing" investigation but officers will investigate if there is new information. Mr Taylor said: "When I told the law my signs had been stolen they said I should get security cameras all over the place. They said: 'Mr Taylor, there is nothing we can do. You do not have photographic evidence.' I understand everybody wants hardcore evidence they can slap down on the table and say: 'There's a picture of you and that's it.' But it gets to be a bit annoying."
When we initially reported on the garden wall row Mr Taylor gave a demonstration where he measured the width of an inside section of his house close to the wall. He then walked out to his yard and measured the distance between the garden wall and a line running parallel to the edge of the same inside section. Mr Taylor said the second distance was about two inches shorter – which he claims shows there is an encroachment on his property.
Asked if the removal of his placards has put him off his campaign he said: "Oh definitely not. Oh no. I want my property back... All it needs is somebody to prove to me that it is mine. My signs will stay out there irrespective of what happens and how often I have to replace them. Am I optimistic my campaign will make a difference? Eventually yes. Only when somebody in authority stops saying: 'It's nothing to do with me.'"
WalesOnline's previous report on the protest sparked a wave of stories in the national media but Mr Taylor has not seen any of the coverage. "My son and daughter have," he said. "I seem to be notorious."
The mum living next door said last month: "Since we moved in 20 years ago [Mr Taylor] hasn't talked to us. We hadn't had an argument or anything. [The protest] is the first time there's been any confrontation. Cardiff council says there's no need for a planning application for extensions of six metres and this was within six metres. Then after the work was finished [Mr Taylor] drilled straight through."
Mr Taylor accepts he used a drill and hammer to make holes in the wall over a period of around five months. He also peeled off a strip of stucco from the building extension. Four circles in the garden wall show where the family have sealed up damage. Police handed Mr Taylor a £90 fine last September for criminal damage.
The mum said last month: "The police took away his drill. That's when he started with the signs... [The police] said they can't do anything because it's in his private property. They said it is like a protest sign even though it's got our house number and he's calling us thieves. How can that not be offensive?"
The pensioner felt he was left with "no other choice" but to drill holes after the council refused to intervene. One council officer wrote to Mr Taylor that the extension did not need planning permission and that boundary disputes are not planning matters. Mr Taylor responded with eight letters, mostly written in black felt-tip and in large capital letters. One reads: "Two years [council officer's name], two years of being ignored by you. Why?"
Speaking about the disappearance of Mr Taylor's placards a police spokeswoman said: "South Wales Police received a report of signs being removed outside address in Clare Road, Grangetown, on July 9. Officers attended the location to speak to the reporting person. There is no ongoing police investigation in relation to this matter. As always we will respond to any new information and investigate. The victim has been updated."
The neighbouring family said last month that police advised them they could launch civil proceedings over the display but they decided against it to avoid legal costs. A police spokeswoman told us at the time: "This is a civil dispute between neighbours in relation to building work and there is no current criminal investigation." A council spokesman also said it was a civil matter.
Anyone with information about the removal of Mr Taylor's signs can contact police via this link or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting occurrence 2200228991. You can read more of the latest Cardiff news here.
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