Couple ordered to sell their £600,000 home over a 3-inch fence row with neighbours say they have nowhere to go
Herman Constantine and wife Yvette have lived at the seven-bedroom house for 31 years, but have until January 5 to leave
A FAMILY ordered to hand their £600,000 home to neighbours in a row over a fence say they have nowhere to go.
The Constantines, who have lived at the seven-bedroom house for 31 years, lost a legal fight over an extension they claimed was built three inches into their garden.
The couple, who are both retired, say they have been through "the most stressful part in their lives" as they prepare to leave their home in East Ham, East London, on January 5.
Their living room is already filled with dozens of boxes as they prepare to move out less than two weeks after Christmas.
A judge ordered ex-council worker Yvette, 57, and Herman, 66, to hand over the keys to next-door neighbours the Ali family — for them to sell to recoup legal fees after an eight-year battle.
The Constantines, who have lived there since 1986, accused the Alis of knocking down a fence and building an extension three inches into their garden while they were on a three-week cruise in the Caribbean in 2009.
They took the case to court in 2012 when they could afford a solicitor, but earlier this month a judge ruled in the Alis favour - and demanded they sell their home to pay the legal fees.
Yvette said: "We were told they have to sell our house. Can you imagine that?
"We tried to appeal but they didn't give us permission to appeal despite our overwhelming efforts.
"It's been the most stressful point of our lives."
Herman, 66, added: "I don’t have any kind of money now, everything is in my house.
"It’s giving me a headache and I don’t want my blood pressure to go up.
"Who wants to live here? My house is in a bad area, a bad spot now.
"It’s really, really painful."
Yvette said the families got along before the spat, adding: “We were not good friends but we were polite and civilised.
“They are not really someone I would have a conversation with apart from 'hello' and 'goodbye.'
“We came back from holiday and saw the structure on our land.”
Yvette said they initially did nothing about the extension because they couldn’t afford a solicitor.
She said the family were still paying the mortgage on the house and will struggle to find funds for another place.
Speaking this morning, neighbour Mr Ali, 62, said: "I don't want to talk about it. The time to talk about it was eight years ago but not now."
Since the spat, the Alis have installed CCTV cameras on their house.
A woman who lives next door to the Ali family said they are "good neighbours" who take around food occasionally.
A neighbour on the other side of the road, who also did not give his name, said: "I didn't know anything was going on there, I don't know them but I didn't realise that was happening.
"They're just normal neighbours."
But a hint at the eight-year spat might be found on the Constantines' front porch, where a faded note reads: "Please do not leave deliveries with any neighbours. Thank you."
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A judge issued a final ruling on December 1 due to non payment.
Mark Woloshak, of lawyers Slater and Gordon, said: “Border disputes can be horrendously expensive.
"If you lose you pay the other sides’ costs. That’s how it works.”
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