Neighbours branded ME a ‘disgrace’ over caravan in my garden but they’ve ruined MY life… I’ll clear it up when I want
A WOMAN who was ordered to tear down a caravan on her driveway after years of complaints claims her neighbours have ruined her life.
Lillie Goddard, who featured on TV series The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door, was accused of living in the “monstrous” static home so she could rent out her £170,000 house to make some extra cash.
Locals blasted the mum-of-two for turning their street into an illegal “traveller camp” and making it look like a “disgraceful mess”.
They said the view left them “stressed and upset” and demanded the makeshift extension be demolished, which a judge later agreed with.
But Lillie, who was given until August 5 to remove the add-on in Swindon, Wiltshire, is adamant she has done nothing wrong and insists it is nearby residents who are at fault.
The homeowner, who does contract work as an electrician and maintenance technician, said: “They have completely ruined my life.
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“But it’s not just me, they’ve also ruined my poor mum’s life.
“She’s 78 and just wanted to live a quiet life in a static caravan outside my home.”
Lillie, who is in the process of removing the structure, claims she is now losing £800 a month as she can no longer rent out two rooms in the main house.
“It is a huge amount of money,” she said.
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“One room which was previously occupied by a tenant is now mine, but I can’t share a room with my mother so that’s two rooms I can’t rent out.
“I have zero financial potential now. I’ve reached my overdraft limit.”
She also said she has lost work because of the ordeal as she has had to be at home to supervise the dismantling.
“As a contract worker you can’t miss weeks of work at a time,” the so-called nightmare neighbour added.
Swindon County Court ruled the static home Lillie and her disabled mum share on her front lawn must be removed in June.
She was given 12 weeks to get the job done, with a deadline of August 5.
While destruction is in progress, neighbours have complained paths are blocked with debris and the front garden is still a shambles.
My neighbours have completely ruined my life.
Lillie Goddard
One angry local said: “What an absolute mess. Yes, she’s taken the caravan down like she was told, but what about the remnants of it?
”Technically it’s still there. All the interior walls and windows are strewn across the grass – that’s where people like to walk their dogs.”
In response, Lillie, who also once had a shipping container in front of her home, said: “The trailer is gone but I’ve kept the chassis there as that is not legally a caravan.
“I thought, ‘if I can’t remove it fully then I can just move the trailer for now’.
“I do plan to remove everything because I don’t know what the council will say about it, but it is a skilled job and I need two people to do it.
“When I can get that, it will be gone.”
Lillie’s husband Mark said that Swindon Borough Council visited the property when the court date passed.
Speaking outside his home on Monday, he said: “We’ve been doing this for over a week.
“We’ve taken loads of stuff down the tip. I’ve done four tip trips, that’s quite a lot.
“We’ve asked for two weeks so we can get the chance to move it.”
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Councillor Gary Sumner, Cabinet Member for Strategic Infrastructure, Transport and Planning, said: “An Injunction was made by the court which made it very clear that Mr and Mrs Goddard had to remove the caravan from their property, rather than dismantle it and leave it where it was.
“Clearly the remnants need to be removed as quickly as possible and we will be taking steps to ensure this is the case.”
