'My double decker bus dispute was years of hell'

Wendy Salmon has moved the bus from her driveway to outside the pub she is running

A Surrey grandmother who said she went through "years of hell" in a dispute over a double decker bus she wants to repair said she was determined to make her venture work.

Wendy Salmon, from Camberley, was issued a Community Protection Notice (CPN) by the council to remove the bus, which was parked outside her cul-de-sac home.

"One lady didn't like the look of the bus, I agree it's not pretty," she told BBC Surrey, but said she had planned to paint the outside of the bus and renovate it inside to make it a mobile bar business.

A spokesperson for Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) said they issued the CPN due to "ongoing complaints" and that the bus remained in "poor condition".

Mrs Salmon said she was going to make the bus project work

Mrs Salmon said the "craters and bumps in the road" moving the bus to its current home included being told to move the bus, being called to court three times since 2023 and feeling "like a criminal".

"But I've got here, now I'm going to make it work," she added.

She now hopes to keep the bus outside the pub she is running in Windlesham, creating a bar downstairs and seating and a children's soft play upstairs.

She said the local authority issued a warning letter before the CPN, which she described as "the modern day Asbo".

Mrs Salmon felt she had no choice but to appeal the CPN issued by the council

She said the CPN was issued for "upsetting the ambience of the area", but claimed most residents in the road she lived in could not see the bus until they were at the end of her drive.

She claimed it would have been "impossible" to move the bus in the timeframe given by the council, as it needed work and was declared off road.

Mrs Salmon said she had explained this to the council and felt she had no choice but to appeal the CPN, and therefore went to court three times.

"It's been years of hell, I feel like a victim, I feel like a criminal," she said.

"I'm just trying to provide myself and my children with a business opportunity and something a little bit different and a little bit out of the box," she added.

The council said despite the owner's best efforts, the bus was not made roadworthy.

"While informal resolution was sought, formal action became necessary due to the continued impact on the local community," they added.