A fuming Edinburgh mum-to-be has been left unable to access her garden after neighbours built a new fence in the middle of the area.
Lorraine Smith, who is currently eight months pregnant, is unable to get her buggy into the back garden and says her elderly grandparents' access to the garden has also been cut off.
The mum-to-be, who regularly stays at her grandparent's home in Oxgangs and cares for them, says the fence has left her without access to their back garden and gate, making it difficult for her grandparents to use the steps.
After multiple attempts to speak to neighbours about the newly-built fence, Lorraine says her complaints have been ignored and her grandparents have been told to "deal with it".
The part-time hairdresser told Edinburgh Live: "The neighbours haven't even been living here for a year but my nana, who is 78, has lived there since she was 15.
"As it's an old coal mine house, the back garden is communal and so are the steps at the back of the property. When they moved in last August they were told that is was a communal garden and was split in half so anything that they wanted to build had to be put in a letter to my grandparents.
"Last Thursday, February 23, I came to the house and saw the joiner building the fence. When the neighbours were planning on building it, they told my grandparents but did not say that it would take up one metre of their land.
"They said they wanted their own privacy and couldn't understand why it was a communal area anyway. My grandparents said that was fine, but now their access has been completely restricted.
"When the joiner was building it, I went and knocked on their door but funnily enough nobody was in. Later that night, I knocked again and they told me I was just looking for an argument and that the fence was built so I'd have to deal with it."
Lorraine has now taken images of the narrow passage between the back door entrance and steps, adding there is not enough room for a pram or her grandad, who regularly takes their dog to the park, to get out.
According to Edinburgh Live, if the council are content that the fence is a permitted development then it would not have required planning permission meaning they can not get involved in the matter.
Lorraine continued: "They have literally taken up half of the steps with the fence and built their own, which makes no sense. They also charged my grandparents £600 for the fence.
"I'm getting advice from a lawyer and they are drafting up a letter to inform the family that the fence has to be moved further towards their porch or taken down.
"My nana is in tears due to the whole situation and it's so sickening as they have lived here their whole lives. I have tried to speak with the neighbours again but they basically slammed the door in my face
"They asked why I would need access with a pram to the garden but that's nothing to do with them and it saves me walking all the way around to get access to the park."
A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council said: "We are aware of this incident and are looking into it."
One of the neighbours next door to Lorraine's grandparents declined to comment after being approached by our sister title.
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