A couple were left furious after they were ordered by the council to cut the height of their $12,000 fence after their neighbors filed a complaint.

Andrew Doyle, 58, and his partner Susan Paul, 53, claimed they were being unfairly victimized as none of their neighbors have received the same order.

Wiltshire Council has given them only until mid-March to cut the height of their 50 meters (164ft long) fence, which was already there for three years.

The couple claims that they are being picked on as ‘nothing has happened’ to other homeowners whose fences have exactly the same height.

Susan said of their fence: “It replaced an overgrown hedge which was leaning over a path, stopping wheelchairs and mums with prams using it.

“It’s such an injustice, we were just really surprised. Other people have exactly the same type of fence as we’ve got, so why are we being punished?

“We are being unfairly penalized, it’s madness. And we are worried about being able to afford the work in this age of austerity.”

Andrew also said: “We replaced the hedge with the fence, unaware of the need for planning permission until we suddenly had a letter out of the blue from Wiltshire Council who came after us.

“Now we have to cut it down by a half – we have to cut it down to one meter high.

“But several fences in the road are exactly the same height, but nothing has happened about them.”

He said that cutting their fence means losing their privacy. “It’s such an injustice,” he added.

Councilor Nick Botterill, the Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “The enforcement notices in place are required to be met by March 16, 2023.

“We would strongly encourage anyone considering undertaking development to check with the council to establish if planning permission is required before starting any works.

“Should we receive any formal reports of any issues with other fences in the area, then we will investigate these in line with our normal processes and take appropriate action if required.”

The couple say that they have no choice but to cut their fence down to 50 percent. “We are law abiding citizens, if they order us to reduce it then we will have to,” Andrew expressed.

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