Woman to fight council window ruling after 'drunk man falls into lounge'

A woman who installed protective bars after her windows were "smashed in" by drunken revellers has vowed to fight a council after being told to take them down.

Tammie McNeill, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, put in the "expensive" handmade guards 18 months ago after paying £2,000 to repair her shattered windows.

On one occasion, she said an "extremely drunk man" ended up in her living room after falling through the window, while another broke a pane as she watched television.

But East Suffolk Council instructed her to remove the bars from her flat at Mariners Court, in New Street, after they were installed without planning permission or listed building consent.

McNeill, however, said removing them would "seriously affect" her quality of life and leave her feeling "on edge every single evening".

"The window guards were the only thing that gave me peace of mind, but now I'm being forced to remove them," she said.

"My health is going to decline because of this, so whoever complained, I hope you're very pleased with yourself – shame on you."

McNeill, who lives with her two dogs, said only one of her historical property's original, "vulnerable" windows now remained, and she was keen to preserve it.

She said the grills had worked as a deterrent, not only stopping drinkers from damaging her windows, but also preventing them from sitting on her window sills and putting their glasses on them.

"I don't want to come across as a nimby, but I was up and down at my windows every time I heard a drunken group," she said.

"But the moment they were fitted, I just relaxed and my dogs all relaxed, too, because they were picking up on my severe anxiety."

She was first ordered to remove the grills - which the authority said were "unlawful" - in October and then again this week, having failed to comply.

In a letter seen by the BBC, the council's enforcement officers advised her that retrospective planning permission would unlikely be granted and said she had 28 days to take them down or "formal action" could be taken.

"I just cannot have them removed because I cannot be without them, so I have told the council I'm happy to fight them in court," she added.

A council spokesperson said the window guards were "deemed to be of poor design" and they harmed the "special interest" of a listed building in a conservation area.

"As this building is listed, any alterations made to it require listed building consent prior to any works being carried out," they added.

"Works to install the window guards without permission were brought to the council's attention.

"These works are in breach of planning control and could constitute a criminal offence. The council has advised that they should be removed."

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