Painting garden fence leads to criminal damage fine

A couple who painted their side of a garden fence have been handed an £80 fine by police for "criminal damage", after a neighbour complained. Officers turned up at the home of Kay Balsdon and her partner Chris Bates and threatened them with prosecution if they refused to accept the on-the-spot fine. A next-door neighbour had claimed that Mr Bates' paint job, in a shade called "Forest Green", had ruined the finish on her side of the 6ft fence which was painted a different colour.

Mrs Balsdon, 47, said: "When the police turned up at my door I thought it was a prank. I just couldn't believe it - I was expecting Jeremy Beadle to pop out at any moment." The petrol station cashier from Aldershot, Hants, added: "The fence was getting a bit dry and starting to warp so we thought we'd paint it green to match the rest of the fences in our garden. We were very careful and used a brush rather than a sprayer, but a little bit had got through the fence.


Photo from here.

"The woman next door got very upset and started banging on the door and creating a scene. "She called the police who said they were going to issue a fine, and warned us that if we didn't pay we would end up going to court and end up paying a lot of money. So we just paid." Mr Bates, 29, a postman, said: "I'm amazed that there was such a waste of police time over something so petty.

"When the police arrived I was speechless for 20 minutes. And when it had finally sunk in I felt angry that I was being punished for something so stupid." Hampshire Police said it had decided to refund the fine. A spokesman said: "The officers gave this a lot of consideration and decided that this was the best way to deal with it. However, we have now reviewed the case and the fine will be rescinded and refunded."