A couple are embroiled in a legal dispute with their neighbour after claiming his disposable barbecue caused their home to go up in flames.
The blaze broke out near Harold and Susan Shearing’s bungalow in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, in May of 2023.
The couple, who are both ex-Reform UK candidates, say they were sitting in their kitchen when they spotted smoke rising from the garage next door.
The blaze then spread to their home, leaving it “uninhabitable”.
The pair are suing their neighbour Michael Smedley, for more than £360,000, claiming a disposable barbecue he lit in his garden caused the fire which spread to their £500,000 property, the Daily Mail reports.
The total sum includes £270,000 worth of damage done to their home.
According to the Mail, the couple’s lawyer said in documents lodged to London’s High Court: “Mr Shearing looked over the six-foot-high fence at the back of the property and saw flames rising into the air from the back of the garage and saw Mr Smedley trying to extinguish the fire.
“Shortly after seeing the fire, two other neighbours… banged on the claimants’ door and told them to evacuate.
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The home was allegedly damaged in the fire in May of 2023 (file photo)
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The couple were then said to have evacuated the home, with the fire service having been called by their neighbours.
The barrister said the property was left “uninhabitable”, adding that Mr Smedley had said at the time he “did not know how the barbecue had caused the fire and said it was an accident and apologised”.
Mr and Mrs Shearing both stood as Reform candidates in local elections in 2023.
The pair however failed to get elected.
The case continues.