British couple walled into French home in dispute over shared driveway

AFP
AFP



A British couple's dream of a quiet retirement in France turned into a nightmare when they were walled into their home by their neighbours.

John and Faith Dyson moved to the village of Brugairolles in 2004 and a year later, British couple James and Krystina Dunlop moved into the house next door.

The Dunlops objected to the Dysons' 150-year-old front door and window overlooking their driveway and began a bitter legal campaign against their neighbours.

AFP
AFP



According to AFP, the Dunlops nailed up the Dysons' window shutters and barred their door with wooden fence posts cemented into the ground, forcing them to use their back door as an entrance.

When the Dysons, in their 70s, were out shopping last week, the Dunlops began building a wall as tall as the second storey of their house.

Villagers watched the dispute unfold and around 80 residents turned out on Monday to tear down the barricades and support the Dysons.

Neighbour Alain Cappoen told FRANCE 24: "They [the Dunlops] have managed to anger everyone in this village.

AFP
AFP



"When they blocked up the windows, the whole village was outraged. You just can't treat people like this in this day and age."

He added: "We won't tolerate seeing this couple being treated like this."

According to AFP, the Dunlops, who remained inside during a protest against them by villagers, wrote a 14-page letter to the French government claiming they had been the victims of three poisoning attempts.



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