Peterborough resident whose fence has been broken for six years ‘doesn’t feel safe in her own garden'

A Peterborough resident whose fence has been broken for six years says she doesn’t feel safe in her own garden.

Jayne Robinson lives at a Cross Keys property on Tudor Close which backs onto a small grassy area with a park bench behind Gunthorpe Primary School.

The divide between this area and her back garden is separated by a wooden fence, which isn’t broken, and which Cross Keys installed when she first raised the issue in 2017.

But a small gap remains which should be covered by a mesh fence – but this has been broken since she moved into her home and no-one will claim responsibility for it, she says.

Jayne says she doesn’t want to try to fix it herself in case its owner comes forward and accuses her of interfering with it but that it’s caused her years of stress.

Cross Keys, the primary school and Peterborough City Council (PCC) all say the mesh fence isn’t theirs and as it passes along all of her neighbours’ properties.

Jayne says she doesn’t think it belongs to an individual person.

The mystery has persisted for years, she says, and without anyone to fix it she feels “vulnerable” and “looked at”.

“I’ve got agoraphobia so I can’t go out very far,” Jayne said. “The comfort would come from sitting in my garden and enjoying being out there, away from people.

“But when I sit out there and someone’s head suddenly pops over the fence, or a football comes over and they start climbing in to come and fetch it, it’s almost like living in a fish bowl – I feel looked at.”

Agoraphobia is a condition which can prevent sufferers from leaving their own home or neighbourhood as they fear open or crowded places.

Jayne says that she checks everyday to see whether anyone’s thrown anything into her garden or if there’s anything missing because of the broken fence.

“I build it up into a massive drama that it’s probably not but it’s just causing me stress and I feel let down as well because nobody seems to want to help me with this,” she said.

Before Cross Keys erected the wooden fence, people would actually come in, Jayne says, and have left broken glass and drug paraphernalia in her garden.

Cross Keys and the council have confirmed both to Jayne and the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the broken fence is not their responsibility.

Gunthorpe Primary School didn’t respond to a request for comment, but Jayne says she’s heard through local councillors that they don’t believe they’re responsible for it either.

The only avenue left open, she believes, is having the land registry undertake a survey, but that will cost money “I’ve not got”.

In the meantime, the gap remains and Jayne says she just wants answers so her years-long saga can come to an end.