A dispute broke out between neighbours on a village street after a man is said to have placed a Christmas tree on the driveway next door.
Lewis Gash faced a criminal charge following the dispute, which occurred in the village of Shaw in Swindon, Wiltshire, on April 3, 2024.
The 60-year-old was alleged to have placed a Christmas tree onto his neighbour’s driveway and confronted him.
His actions however breached the terms of a restraining order that Swindon Magistrates Court had imposed against him in December 2022, according to the Swindon Advertiser.
Gosh, of Corral Close in Shaw, was charged with harassment in the form of breaching a restraining order on conviction.
The defendant was scheduled to appear at Swindon Magistrates Court for trial on September 23.
However, it was ultimately ruled there was insufficient evidence to support the charge.
It was decided that magistrates could “only rely on inferences” which was concluded to be “too tenuous”.
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The homeowner was accused of putting a Christmas tree on the driveway next door (file photo)
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According to the Swindon Advertiser, court documents state: “There was no evidence that the defendant had gone onto the property in the course of moving it to where it was left.
“CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) submitted that the bench could rely on inferences, but the bench felt this was too tenuous.”
In a separate dispute, a couple from Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, claim their neighbour’s disposable barbecue caused their home to go up in flames.
Harold and Susan Shearing, who are both ex-Reform UK candidates, say they were sitting in their kitchen when they spotted smoke rising from the garage next door in May, 2023.
The couple’s home in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, went up in flames in May of 2023
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The blaze then spread to their home, leaving it “uninhabitable”.
The pair are suing their neighbour 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.