A BAFFLED couple is being taken to court over a bizarre law that means the council owns a 2m slice of their garden. Amy Bonner and husband Pete, from Surrey, moved into their dream home in Laleham Park but found themselves in hot water. A 90-year-old error in the Land Registry meant a third of the pair's garden is owned by Spelthorne Borough Council.
![[Garden with shed, patio furniture, and Christmas lights.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/shed-outta-luck-forced-tear-966260839.jpg?strip=all&w=812)
The couple are now being chased after they were informed that 2m part of their property has “encroached” on council land. A shocked Amy said the council has treated them "like criminals" when all they did was buy a house. She added: “I’m always on edge, the stress has been horrendous.".
![[A gravel driveway behind a house, with a white van parked near a shed and various garden items.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/shed-outta-luck-forced-tear-966260843.jpg?strip=all&w=813)
Now Amy "wakes up in the middle of the night" worried about whether her and her husband will have to go to court. The pair received the letter in July 2023 explaining the issue and, adhering to the council orders, moved the fence back by about a metre.
![[Woman standing in doorway of her home.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/shed-outta-luck-forced-tear-966259887.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
It was later revealed, unbeknownst to Amy and Pete when they bought the property in 2020, part of their new garden also was owned by the council as well as the shed. The previous owner had assured them with pictures that this land had always been part of the house.
Regardless, the council has claimed they owned the plot running down the right side of the property, including part of the driveway, the patio and the shed. This leaves the Bonners with only a patch of garden directly behind their home. They attempted to resolve the issue with the council politely, agreeing to get a surveyor to mark the garden boundaries in January 2024.
