Nosy neighbours installed CCTV cameras and listening devices that were trained on next-door 24 hours a day
Tony Woodley said his family are afraid their conversations are being recorded
A FAMILY suffered years of "harassing surveillance" by neighbours who snooped on them by directing cameras and listening devices at their home.
Debbie and Tony Woolley were left "petrified" after the couple downstairs installed CCTV and audio recording equipment at their house.
The cameras at the front of the property recorded every person approaching and, at the rear, their private garden.
Nahid and Sohail Akram installed the equipment following plans to turn their guesthouse into a bail hostel.
But the Woolley's said the bizarre move left them afraid their conversations were being recorded at the property in the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh.
They pursued a legal claim and have racked up £30,000 in legal costs, using their savings and borrowing.
Father-of-two Tony, 46, said the ordeal had left his wife and daughter Louisa "petrified".
He said: "On a nice day, we had to sit around the side of the house, knowing it wasn't being filmed but we knew there was audio as well so couldn't even speak.
"We'd be sat there whispering - it makes you feel that your human rights have been violated.
"Louisa would want to sit out in the nice weather like any girl her age in her bathing costume, but she couldn't.
"We've lived in different places and always had really good relationships with our neighbours but this was horrendous.
"We were embarrassed by it. People would come round to see us and we'd have to tell them not to speak at the front of the house because they're being recorded.
"Anybody walking down the street, at some point, could've been recorded. Even their own guests in the B&B.
"It was a living hell. Sometimes you'd be outside and forget about the microphones and then ask yourself what you said.
"The microphones probably had the ability to listen into our house. They were right under our bedroom window. We had to keep the windows shut at the front."
The Woolleys moved into their flat in 2012, seeing it as the ideal place to bring up daughter Louisa, now 17, while son Joseph, 21, would also visit.
But trouble started when when the Akrams applied to change the use of their property from a guest house into a bail hostel for up to 18 accused at a time.
The Woolleys opposed the application and it was subsequently refused by the city council, sparking a spat between the two families.
Both parties installed CCTV cameras, the Woolleys' system covering the front of their property, a staircase to their entrance door at the side and their garden.
The Akrams installed four cameras and four audio recording boxes, which operated 24 hours-a-day and were set to record permanently.
Despite the upset caused, Tony and Debbie were determined to stay in the family home - even though they have run up a £30,000 legal bill.
But after they launched a legal claim at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Sheriff Nigel Ross found in favour of the Woolley's.
He said the actions of Nahid Akram, who co-owns the guest house with her husband Sohail, had been "intrusive, excessive and unjustified".
And the couple have now been awarded more than £17,000 compensation.
Sheriff Ross noted that CCTV cameras installed by the Akrams were deliberately set to cover the Woolleys' private property.
And he declared that the Woolleys had suffered "considerable distress" as he awarded them compensation.
Debbie, 50, a nanny, said: "It has been an extremely stressful time for us as a family to feel so uncomfortable and oppressed, knowing persons who dislike you so much watch, monitor and record your family home.
"Most disturbing is that recordings from within our home have most probably been recorded by the audio boxes below our bedroom windows - disgusting behaviour."
She added: "We are relieved that the case was found in our favour. It has obviously been a stressful time for the whole family.
"We have suffered greatly due to the over-zealous and harassing surveillance directed at our home."
A Police spokeswoman said: "Police in Edinburgh have received a number of complaints from addresses in Corstorphine Road regarding issues between neighbours.
"Several complaints were made by both parties in March and April 2015 relating to surveillance equipment.
"A live interdict was in place regarding this issue as part of an ongoing civil case and appropriate advice was given."
Some of the equipment remains and Tony now plans to pursue enforcement action with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to have it removed.
A spokesperson for the ICO said: "Where a concern is reported to us about the use of CCTV on domestic property we provide relevant advice about the responsibilities that come with gathering and storing CCTV images of individuals."
Mrs Akram's lawyer said: "We are actively considering an appeal on a number of grounds."
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