TWO warring neighbours today said their row over a 44millimetre strip of land could finally be over - after six years of "total hell and provocation."

Blackburn magistrates heard how the feud had cost lorry driver Meyrick Johnson thousands of pounds in legal costs and expert advice.

And despite being in court for using threatening behaviour, Johnson felt that he was the victim of a "litigious" neighbour.

The court was told that after six years, Johnson, 51, of Kenilworth Drive, Clitheroe, now just wanted to sell his house and move on with his life.

Two charges of assaulting his neighbour, Andrew Moore, 67, were dismissed after the prosecution offered no evidence.

But Johnson had already pleaded guilty to two charges of threatening behaviour in April last year.

During the dispute, Johnson called Mr Moore's wife an ugly witch, threatened Mr Moore by pretending to shoot him and warned him to "watch himself," the court was told.

Tom Snape, prosecuting, said Johnson had appeared in court on a similar charge in June last year when he was fined £200 with £90 costs.

Imposing a conditional discharge, magistrates said there had been provocation, including invasion of privacy by CCTV and handheld cameras, and that Mr Moore, 67, had admitted affecting the sale of Johnson's house.

Speaking after the case, Johnson said: "It has been a living nightmare and total hell. We have devalued our house by erecting a fence just to get some privacy but I am in catch 22. I have been driven out."

Mr Moore said: "I feel let down by the court's decision but I am over the moon if he is finally going to move away."

The court was told that the long-running feud started when Johnson began erecting a garage. The neighbours went to Crown Court where it was found the garage went onto Mr Moore's property by a few inches.

Under the agreement, Johnson had to seal the gap between the two garages, purchase the 44 millimetre strip of land from Mr Moore for £1,750 and pay his neighbour's costs of £2,000.

"You might have thought that a County Court judgement would bring matters to an end but it didn't," said Michael Singleton, defending, who added that Johnson had paid £7,500 in costs to a legal team.

Mr Singleton said since the court case, Mr Moore had erected a CCTV system on the garage, which was trained on the Johnsons back door, and recorded their comings and goings.

"On occasions, Mr Moore comes out of the house and films everything my client does on his camcorder," said Mr Singleton. He said Johnson decided enough was enough and put his house up for sale. In April last year he found a buyer.

"Mr Moore took it upon himself to contact the purchaser and persuade them not to buy," added Mr Singleton.