A CONTROVERSIAL fence will be allowed to stay after Lancashire County Council discovered that it had been built on private land.

A row erupted over the fence with neighbouring residents complaining they were no longer able to park their cars on Ightenhill Park Lane, Burnley to go walking in nearby Hagg Wood.

But homeowner Andrew Connolly met with representatives from the council this week, who agreed that he was entitled to erect the wooden fence, as he owns that part of the road.

Mr Connolly said that he was disappointed that people had not raised their objections about the fence with him directly, rather than through the council.

He said: “All I’ve done is put a fence up on my own land.

"The man from the council said its on my land and it looks great.

“I’ve put the fence up because it’s not a car park, it’s a private road - the only place it goes to is my house.

“People have been parking on our drive, my wife had to stay in the house for an hour because she couldn’t get out and a few weeks ago four cars parked on the lane and I had to go home and wait for an hour before I could go to work.

“There only has to be a right of way for horses and pedestrians, not vehicles.

"What gives anybody the right to park on my road so that I can’t get out?”

Mr Connolly has said that he will also be putting up signs along the lane to warn people that it is a private road and his wife Claire has also said that the couple are planning to put gates up to stop people from parking.

Alan Capstick, highways manager for Burnley, said: “We have now inspected the site and met with the landowner Mr Connolly. The fence has been installed on private land, which is not part of the adopted highway.

“We understand that Mr Connolly has erected the fencing to discourage parking on the grass verge which occasionally has obstructed the lane."