Couple 'treated like criminals' over land dispute

Amy Bonner says she and her family are being treated "like criminals" over a land registry mistake

A Surrey couple have said they feel as if they are being treated "like criminals" over a 90-year-old Land Registry mistake.

Amy Bonner and husband Pete received a letter in July 2023 from Spelthorne Borough Council (SBC) claiming part of their Laleham property "encroached" on its land, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Mrs Bonner said the council "treated us like criminals [when] we've just bought a house".

An SBC spokesperson said: "The council has a duty to protect public land and is working with the residents concerned to resolve this ongoing matter."

The pair moved into a cottage at the edge of Laleham Park in September 2020 before they learned ownership of an approximately 2m (6.5ft) wide slice of their garden was in dispute.

At first, they moved back a section of fencing about a metre or so in a bid to correct the dispute.

It then transpired, due to a 90-year-old mistake by the HM Land Registry office, that a section of the couple's garden was also owned by the council.

A strip of the Bonners' garden is in dispute

The local authority claims it owns the plot running down the right side of the Bonners' property, which includes part of the driveway, the patio and the shed.

"But this has always been part of the house," said Amy.

She said they had already spent over £2,500 on solicitor fees and for a surveyor.

Currently, the dispute is continuing between surveyors who are measuring the boundary lines around the property and checking various land ownerships.

The couple has made a claim for adverse land possession, meaning legally claiming ownership of land they have used for a while without challenge.

Lincoln Jopp, the MP for Spelthorne, has brokered a meeting with the council and the Bonners to try to resolve the land issues, the LDRS understands.

An HM Land Registry spokesman said: "We cannot comment on any ongoing disputes.

"An investigation into any historical errors will be included as a part of any support from HM Land Registry as part of any action to resolve this dispute."