Storage Hunters star at war with village hits back at ‘sour puss’ neighbours & ‘bolts gates’ to stop them using gardens

A STORAGE Hunters star sparked war with a village after slamming "sour puss" neighbours who raged after he hacked down their beloved hedge.

Cops were called out to the picturesque village of Haslingfield in Cambridgeshire on Thursday after outraged locals discovered Daniel Hill on what they claim is their land.

Hill, who appeared in all five UK series of Storage Hunters from 2014 to 2016 as a “main buyer,” has spent £18,000 snapping up two contested plots, on which he wants to build houses.

The controversial businessman now owns a designated tree planting area and a piece of land incorporated into a garden.

But, residents living next to the land were horrified when Hill turned up with contractors to tear down boundary hedges and lock their gate.

Speaking to The Sun Online, the Storage Wars star admitted he couldn't care less about homeowners up in arms with their "pitchforks".

He said: “I saw this cheap bit of land at auction. That’s how I make my money, I buy stuff cheap and try to make a profit on it.

“Originally I thought it was one of those things where it would go crazy money, it’s a beautiful village here. I was watching the auction and it landed around the £5,000 to £6,000 mark and I thought, I’ve got to have some of this."

After nabbing the promising plot of land for £12,000 he prided himself for making "the deal of the century".

The grinning businessman explained he had carried out all the necessary research to start working there.

“I turned up here and started cutting the trees down, then wham all the villagers came out, almost like with their pitchforks and their angry faces, ‘no, no, no, you can’t have this land'," he continued.

“I said, ‘sorry I’ve bought it’, I couldn’t really understand what the problem was and ever since then they have been sour pusses. They didn’t buy it. I’m not going to buy any tears, this is not a poor area.

“You’ve got accountants, bankers, all kids of very wealthy people here. If they wanted the land they should have bought it.”

'I don’t see what everyone is moaning about'

He claimed everybody in the village knew about the auction and added: “If they wanted it, they should have bid for it really. I'm not going to cry for anyone."

Although, he did admit private talks had been held with the Parish Council in which he was offered money for the land - but he denied the deal.

He added: “I should be getting a pat on the back, I’ve done the deal of the century. I don’t see what everyone is moaning about.

“Future plans I’m going to put a house here. There will be an application very very soon. There’s planning policies which promote development in this area."

Despite backlash from distraught locals, the confident land owner said he feels "like I've won the lottery" and is "excited" about development plans.

"To all the people moaning they didn’t buy it, they should have stuck their hand in their pocket," he added.

'We have been traumatised by this man'

However, his approach has sparked an outcry amongst village residents who feel "traumatised" by Hill.

One couple claim he has denied them access to the back of their own garden, and house, which is legally theirs.

Caroline Buggust, 75, has lived in the house for 43 years and gardened the piece of land, which the hedge surrounds, with her husband Adrian, 82, for four decades.

I should be getting a pat on the back, I’ve done the deal of the century. I don’t see what everyone is moaning about."

Daniel Hill

She said their solicitor had told them cutting the hedge was “criminal damage” because it was legally theirs and that Hill had demanded £100,000 compensation to forfeit his right to develop the plot.

“For the last few weeks we have been traumatised by this man. We can’t leave the house for fear he is going to come in," she said.

"We haven’t dared to leave the house at the same time. One of us
has gone out and the other one stayed in.

“He turned up, bolted our gate, so we had no access out of our house. He said he had got the land, we have no proof, no paperwork to prove it’s actually his land, which we’ve asked for.

“We’ve got solicitors involved. We’ve gardened it for 40 years and it’s enclosed, so that gives us rights that he has to actually evict us and take us to court.

“We have been told that legally he can’t destroy anything on the land as its ours, the trees, the hedge, anything we put on it.

“Basically we’re asking for him to do it legally, to go through the process, but he is refusing, and by the time the whole area is flattened, we’re in a situation where we’ll have no garden, so we’ll have lost 40 years of work and trees and we don’t even know if he’s doing it legally.

For the last few weeks we have been traumatised by this man. We can’t leave the house for fear he is going to come in."

Caroline BuggustResident

“All we’re asking is it’s done though the proper legal channels. He’s bolted our gate so he’s refused us access out of the back of our own garden, our own house, which is actually legally ours, the gate, the drive.

“It has not been contested in 21 years so therefore an enclosed area, generally speaking, that has been gardened can usually be kept.”

She added: “He has sent us emails and asked for £100,000. It’s all about money. He’s trying to get us to pay a lot of money for a piece of garden.”

She said the piece of land had no planning and they had offered to pay him the garden value of it if he proved it was his, but he had refused.

She added: “The title of the land he is trying to say is his, but everything on it is ours.

"We want to get it dealt with, but in the meantime he’s trying to flatten the garden.

“If it is proved it is ours we would have lost a garden and thousands of pounds, the hedge alone cost thousands.”

It comes after Hill was seen cutting down a tree on the second piece of land, he claims to have bought, which has always been a designated tree planting area, where the local children would play.

A group of residents had offered him £40,000 to buy the piece of land from him, but he refused.

If they wanted it, they should have bid for it really. I'm not going to cry for anyone."

Daniel Hill

He has since enclosed the piece of land with a barbed wire fence and put a notice up warning people not to trespass.

A spokesman for the local Residents’ Group, Libra, said last week: “On the original plans for the estate the land was a tree planting area. The developers tried to build there in 2002 but didn’t get permission and it has been left alone ever since.

“The residents are all absolutely devastated that this has happened and many have been in tears.

"A lot of our children and grandchildren have enjoyed playing there over the years.”

Hill also claimed to own a road on the estate and wanted residents to pay him £576 a week to park outside their homes in spaces, which they have previously been using for free, but Cambridgeshire County Council has now put a stop to this.

It comes after the Storage Hunters star chopped down a "beloved" tree and allegedly charged locals £30,000 to park.

Locals were fuming after Hill felled a cherry tree on the Badcock Road housing estate.

Shocking footage shows him smirking as his workmen chopped down the tree.