Neighbours living in a Bicester cul-de-sac could face court action after defying a deadline to knock down their garden fences.

Four households in Herald Way, Bicester, were sent enforcement notices by Cherwell District Council because they have built garden fences when the estate was meant to be open-plan.

On Wednesday the deadline passed for them to comply with the order, and at least two of the four households have refused to back down.

Now the council could take the residents to court, or knock the fences down itself.

Herald Way resident Sharon Mace put her fence up about 18 months ago to separate her driveway from a neighbouring alleyway.

She said: "We have had kids from the alleyway walk across our garden. We have had damage to our vehicle on two occasions. People used to walk across right under my kitchen window.

"But the fence has stopped that. We don't see how we have broken the open-plan policy, as we have not enclosed our property off."

When Ms Mace got the enforcement notice she went round to her neighbours, who also had a fence, to discuss what to do.

She said: "We thought we would stand together."

But she added if she did get a court summons, she would take the fence down.

A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "We have still got ours up, our neighbour's is still up.

"If they (the council) want to take it down, let them come and do it. It's a waste of time and money. We are not hurting anybody else."

Another Herald Way resident, Andrew Horne, said he had taken his fence down, but was unhappy about it.

He said: "The council's idea of open plan is so every beggar can walk across your garden.

"It was a three foot fence, it wasn't exactly a six foot fence with barbed wire."

The fourth household was unavailable for comment but it appeared their fence had been removed.

A spokesman for Cherwell District Council said: "The Council would have to consider prosecution for non-compliance with the notices.

"Direct action is a possibility, but this would be a last resort after other approaches had been exhausted."