What started as a routine broadband upgrade quickly turned into a bitter feud in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, after a 15ft trench appeared in a resident’s front garden without her knowledge.
Melanie Abbott, 48, was left stunned to find her lawn uprooted when she returned from work, discovering piles of mud and a long dig mark stretching across her property.
CCTV Reveals the Full Scale of the Work
It wasn’t until Ms Abbott checked her CCTV that she realized just how extensive the digging had been.
Doorbell footage captured a worker in high-visibility gear using a digger to rip up the grass one Tuesday afternoon.
The job, carried out by Openreach, was part of a modernisation effort to replace copper broadband with new internet cables.
Neighbour Dispute Over Permission
The twist? The work had been requested by Ms Abbott’s neighbour, Carol Wilson.
Furious, Ms Abbott insists she was never consulted.
Video clips of her confronting the workers and shouting at her neighbour were shared on TikTok, quickly going viral and gathering over a million views.
“I just came home and discovered it,” Ms Abbott told reporters from her doorstep.
“They had done all the digging and filled it in. My neighbours told me they had a digger, but I didn’t know the full scale until I looked at the footage.
I said, ‘I never asked for this.’ They said my neighbour asked for it.”
Money, Lawns, and Angry Words
The footage shows the mother, who runs a cleaning business, arguing passionately at the scene.
She said the workers tried to keep the trench as close to the fence as possible, but it didn’t matter — the damage was on her side.
Ms Abbott says the disagreement quickly escalated into a heated confrontation with her neighbour’s husband.
“I’ve been here 12 years, and we’ve barely ever had a disagreement,” she said.
“I would never dream of putting up someone else’s garden without their permission.”
Considering Legal Action
Ms Abbott has now consulted a lawyer and is exploring her options.
She wants Openreach to remove the cables and repair the garden properly, saying the grass seeds left behind are unlikely to take root during the winter.
“I don’t know how they can do something like this without my permission,” she said.
“It looks like potential criminal damage and trespassing.”
Neighbour’s Perspective
Carol Wilson, who has lived next door since 1998, explained that Openreach arrived two months ahead of schedule, working before she had a chance to discuss the plan with Ms Abbott.
“I had every intention of talking to her and offering to repair any damage,” she said.
“Openreach caused the problem by showing up early.
They started the work when we weren’t home, and they had already dug up part of the pavement.”
Mrs Wilson added that she is willing to pay for new turf and repair any damage caused by the work.
She claimed the trench was necessary to prevent a more disruptive excavation affecting eight homes, and that without it, the internet connection could have been lost entirely.
The Role of Openreach and the Council
An Openreach spokesperson stated that engineers usually require permission to dig on private property and must obtain a “wayleave,” a legal agreement with the landowner.
“We’re currently investigating to check whether all the rules were followed in this case,” they said.
Milton Keynes Council confirmed they were not aware of the work and are launching their own investigation into the incident.
Local Feuds Over Property and Planning Are on the Rise
This isn’t the first time a local project has sparked neighbourly conflict.
Recently, a pensioner who built a massive pirate ship in his back garden became embroiled in a planning row after a neighbour reported him to the council in Horndean, Hampshire.
In Milton Keynes, however, the drama appears set to continue as both parties seek resolution — one for legal redress and the other to maintain a vital internet connection.
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