Pensioner drills holes into neighbour's wall because he claims it is two inches into his garden

A pensioner drilled holes in the wall he shares with a neighbouring family because he claims it intruded on his garden by a few inches. Ewen Taylor, 87, received a £90 fine for the criminal damage but continued his protest by displaying messages outside his house against the family – who say the row has left their children "embarrassed to go out".

Mr Taylor, from Cardiff, has been putting wooden signs at the front of his house in the busy Clare Road, Grangetown for a few months, including: "You and your cowboy builder are thiefs [sic]"; "Other councils take down illegle [sic] building work"; "Will they sue me?"; and "Do not like my signs, tell the council". The display shows the street number of the next-door family, who told WalesOnline : "It needs to stop really."

A retired bricklayer who has lived in his house for around 50 years, Mr Taylor said his anger was sparked in 2020 when the family built an extension in their back yard, removing the garden wall they previously shared and replacing it with a new one – which he claims juts into his own garden. "It's a matter of two inches but it's my property," he said. "Even if it was half an inch I would object."

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The neighbours – a married couple with four children aged eight to 20 – deny any encroachment. The mum, 42, said: "I have no idea why he thinks it is in his property. It is distressing, especially for my children. They are embarrassed to go out when people ask questions about the signs."

The family's extension pushed back their bathroom to create more dining space. Their builders knocked down the old