A THREE year battle with a housing association is not likely to end anytime soon for one Blackheath resident after a six foot high fence was erected at the end of his driveway.

Last Christmas, seething Nigel Serrell contacted the News following Midland Heart’s decision to install a concrete “no parking” bollard outside his property.

But the housing association has now stopped Mr Serrell from gaining any access to the self-created drive in his back garden by completely covering his gates – a move which the Halesowen Street resident has called “bully boy tactics”.

Halesowen News:

“I knew what they were doing, as before I went to work they asked me to move my car,” Mr Serrell said. “But when I came home, it was worse than I had anticipated.

“It has stopped access to the ground that I have had for 19 years, and they have also put metal bars up at the bottom of the access road (pictured below).

“I have been advised by Dudley Council to write to the planning enforcement team as no one could believe what they have done.

“I have been having these issues with Midland Heart for three years now and I won’t just accept what they are doing and bend down to them.”

Halesowen News:

Mr Serrell, aged 59, said he was advised by police last year to build a gated drive off the communal access road to increase security to his own property.

However, Midland Heart argue the land behind Mr Serrell’s property is a “private parking area” for its customers in the surrounding properties.

Nigel Collumbell, director of housing management, said: “As part of improvement works our contractors have reinstalled boundary fencing to prevent unauthorised access and to allow our customers to continue to use their allocated car parking spaces.

“We have been working very closely with our customers, the local authority and police for some time to find a fair solution to the parking disputes on this land for the benefit of all local residents.”

Mr Serrell has raised further concerns about the workmen, contracted by Midland Heart, trespassing inside his back garden while he was out.

CCTV footage from his house shows the workmen had opened Mr Serrell’s gates and were walking on his driveway in order to erect the fence.

Halesowen News:

Mr Collumbell responded: “We were not made aware that these works required access to the resident’s garden and will urgently investigate the reason for this.”