Couple in fish and chip shop 'fence-gate' row sell house at a loss

Couple who erected a 4ft fence outside their home to stop people eating their fish and chips on their windowsill sell house at a £105,000 LOSS after relations with their takeaway neighbours turn sour

• Stephen Williams, 58, and his wife Christine, 51, used to run a shop in Alnwick
• They converted the shop front into living room but complained of privacy issues
• They put up a fence to stop customers of chip shop leaning on their windows 
• Mr and Mrs Williams are now selling the Northumberland house for £195,000 

A couple who built a 4ft fence to stop people queuing for fish and chips outside their front door are selling their home for a £105,000 loss – after relations with their neighbours went ‘sour’.

Stephen Williams, 58, and his wife Christine, 51, became fed up with chip shop customers waiting outside their home in Alnwick, Northumberland every evening so they put up a fence to get some privacy. 

The barrier, which was partly put up to prevent patrons of Victoria House Fish and Chips from using their windowsill as a bench, extended onto the pavement and into the layby.  

As the row intensified, and news of the bizarre row dubbed ‘Fence-gate’ went viral around the world in September last year, Mr Williams claimed an outraged man aimed an airgun at his wife before firing.

The couple, who used to run a sweet shop from the property, were so spooked they removed the fence a week later, and they are now selling the three-bed semi-detached house for £195,000. 

Land Registry records show the house was bought for £300,000 in 2006 – a whopping £105,000 more than the current asking price.

Stephen Williams, 58, and his wife Christine, 51, became fed up with chip shop customers waiting outside their home in Alnwick, Northumberland every evening so they put up a fence to get some privacy

The barrier, which was partly put up to prevent people using their window sill as a bench, extended onto the pavement into the layby

The couple, who used to run a sweet shop from the property, removed the fence and are now selling the three-bed semi-detached house for £195,000 (pictured: Inside the shop front)

Mrs Williams, who works in a nursing home, said relations with her neighbours had ‘gone sour’ since the fence row (pictured: The property’s kitchen) 

Mrs Williams, who works in a nursing home, said relations with her neighbours had ‘gone sour’ since the fence row.

She said: ‘We were going to sell the house beforehand but what’s gone on has soured it a bit.

‘We were going to sell the house but it brought it all forward.

‘We took the fence down 24th September, it was up for a week.

‘We just want to move on with it.

Estate agent Pattinson, who are selling the house, say the property has ‘so many potential options’ (pictured: The garden)

‘I got trolled on Facebook. Some of the comments we saw were awful.’

Recalling the moment a yob fired an air rifle at Christine, she said: ‘To think the guy who shot at me got away with that. I said to my husband ‘that guys got a gun’

‘The minute he aimed at me, Stephen dragged me inside.’

Stephen added: ‘We’ve had people eating their chips on our windowsill and looking through the window while we are trying to relax. It’s not on.

Land Registry records show the house was bought for £300,000 in 2006 – a whopping £105,000 more than the current asking price. Pictured: The house today with ‘for sale’ sign

Mr Williams had defended the fence, saying: ‘We’ve had people eating their chips on our windowsill and looking through the window while we are trying to relax. It’s not on’

Mr Williams used to run a sweet shop next to Victoria House Fish and Chips but was forced to close in 2019 and has now transformed the building into a house

The couple, who used to run a sweet shop from the property, are now selling the three-bed semi-detached house for £195,000

‘Most people wouldn’t want people using their land as a footpath and neither do we. We just wanted to protect our property.’

The couple ran a sweet shop up until 2019, but closed and converted it into a living room.

Estate agent Pattinson, who are selling the house, say the property has ‘so many potential options’.

In the particulars, they say: ‘Perhaps it will become a beautiful and substantial family home, maybe with a separate granny annex, or split into two separate dwellings.

‘Maybe the former shop could once again be put back into service, and what could be done with the garage…? The mind boggles.’

Mr and Mrs Williams are hoping to move 11 miles away to the village of Rothbury.

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