Man parks his Land Rover on church path to stop cars ‘damaging’ his house
A man is at war with a congregation after he parked his Land Rover in the middle of a church pathway to stop damage to his home.
Peter Escreet, from Grantham, decided to block the path outside his property as the ‘constant’ stream of cars going to St Wulfram’s Church was leaving ‘ongoing damage’.
He maintains he has no issues with the church holding functions, but he has had to frequently fork out to repair damage to his home.
Peter, 39, said: ‘The house got hit, a car rolled over the step and cracked it, hit the plant pot, hit the post, hit the side of the wall, hit the corner of the walls.
‘There’s just been ongoing damage to the house and flagstones. I’ve paid to have three of them repaired and they cost £300 each.’
He also claimed a van driver hit his home and then lied about having done so, despite CCTV capturing the incident.
But the church is concerned that people who need easy access to the grounds are not able to get it.
A spokesperson for the church, which dates back to the 12th century, said: ‘St Wulfram’s is a living, breathing building which at the centre of the community in Grantham offers lots of opportunities for people to come and celebrate our common life together.
‘It is important that deliveries, contractors and disabled visitors can get as close to the front door as possible.’
However Peter maintains there is still access to the church, and disabled people are able to fit mobility scooters and wheelchairs through.
‘I got a tape measure and measured the gap between the car and the wall, and it was fine. I’ve watched two mobility scooters go side-by-side past the car – there’s no problem,’ he said.
‘Even with the Christmas tree parade, they got all the trees in and could get past. Yesterday, with the car there, they got all of them out in a day.’
Now, Peter is claiming he has received ‘verbal abuse’ from furious locals.
Lincolnshire Live saw a video, taken by Mr Escreet from his first-floor window, of a man shouting and swearing at him through his front door.
He said: ‘Someone came to the house the other day, quite angry, and I told him that I agreed with him that it should not be used as a pathway and he looked quite blank. You never know who’s going to come and kick off at you.’
Peter has offered to pay for an electric bollard, which will cost around £3,000 to be installed.
‘I’ve said that if we can get the bollard put in, we’ll donate a wheelchair to the church. We are trying to be as nice as possible about this,’ he added.
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