A FENCE war has broken out between Oxford City Council and residents on the city’s Northway estate.

People living in a block of flats with a shared garden in Stockleys Road, are angry a fence has been put up around their communal washing line area without their agreement.

They claim they were not consulted before the council built the 4ft barrier.

And another fence, put up around a tenant’s garden at her request, has been branded too big.

The city council says it was asked to build both fences, and has no plans to pull them down.

Betty Fletcher, who is chairman of Northway Residents’ Association, said five of six tenants in the building in Stockleys Road were opposed to the washing area fence.

She said: “We said didn’t want it and we got a petition up together against it but no-one has listened.

“The washing line area has been there since 1957 and was perfectly fine. Now we have got this monstrosity of a fence. It looks just horrible.”

When Mrs Fletcher, 68, found out there were plans for a fence around the area, she said she asked for a ‘small fence’ of her own to be placed around her Oxford in Bloom award-winning garden, partly to stop children cycling across it.

She said both fences were then erected without warning or consultation while she was on holiday.

She added: “I thought, well if they’re putting one up around the washing line, maybe it might be nice to have something around my garden.

“Before I knew it they had shoved this great big thing up in my garden and only phoned me on the day they were doing it.

“I don’t like it and I don’t want it, but they have refused to take it down.

“It’s making me ill and it is ruining the view of my garden.”

The council said it did not plan to remove either fence. Aspokesman added: “The fencing screens off a washing area. When visiting the site, council officers discussed it with other residents, including Mrs Fletcher, who requested that she should also have fencing installed in her garden area.

“This was agreed with her by council officers in February.

“On the day of the fencing being installed, Mrs Fletcher was contacted by phone by a member of staff and confirmed the approval of the installation.

“The type of fencing used is standard timberlink, which is used widely by the council and is already present in Stockleys Road.

“At the end of May, Mrs Fletcher contacted the council to request that the fencing was removed.

“We are reluctant to do this as it will incur costs and would be seen by many as a waste of council resources, especially as the fencing was only erected in Mrs Fletcher’s garden area on her request.”

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk