I’m being threatened with PRISON for moving into unusual house on my own land… my neighbours are ganging up on me
A CARER has been threatened with jail-time for mooring his barge on his own land.
Dean Richards, 43, could face up to two years in prison for anchoring his mobile home on his legally-owned land in Cornwall.
The father, who co-parents his 8-year-old son and works as a carer for adults with special needs, now sleeps on his parents' floor so he can afford his legal fees.
Dean has also received an enforcement notice from Cornwall Council and legal action by a second home owner nearby.
He said the ordeal has lasted seven years and cost him a staggering £200,000.
Emotional toll
"It's a lonely road. I feel like an ant fighting an elephant," he said.
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He added: "It's a very scary place when you walk into court alone and you seen all these people with much more experience than you.
"I now have nothing left to actually make the boat liveable in for me and my son.
"I don't like to play the mental health card but it has affected me dearly."
The 86ft vintage Royal Navy munitions barge is currently on the foreshore at Point Quay near Truro - the strip of land which is covered by the sea at high tide but not at low tide.
The neighbour, who's property is in Point, is taking the carer to court on the grounds of trespassing and being a nuisance.
"Cornwall Council and the Marine Management Organisation failed to tell them that they were the ones who told me I didn't need a marine licence," he said.
Cornwall Council said: "Planning decisions are made on the merits of each case, as a matter of fact and degree.
"Decisions may indeed vary if the facts of the development undertaken differ.
"There is a right of appeal, which in this case has been exercised, and the Planning Inspector will consider the facts of the case independently of both parties before making a decision."
The MMO said: "As this is an ongoing matter, we are unable to comment at this time."
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This comes as an elderly couple claimed they were being made homeless by a new moorings owner that wanted to chuck them out to make room for new "mega boats".
The married pair said that since the new owners took control of the moorings in Chelsea, they have attempted to increase license fees to be there from around £30,000 to £500,000.