Retired teacher Helene Ball, 81, has won a three-year legal battle against Derbyshire County Council over access through a gate in her Matlock garden. A judge ruled that decades of uninterrupted use established her legal right to pedestrian and vehicle access, requiring the route to be added to the property deed and protected from further obstruction.

The dispute began in April 2023 when a council-owned car park was fenced off, blocking a 98cm gap in Ms Ball’s rear wall; vehicle access remained obstructed for three years. The case cost about £50,000, with the council ordered to pay her legal costs and install a route for her car, while the judge criticised the council’s legal arguments as combative and poorly supported.