A couple have had their tyres slashed after gating a public footpath on their property they have been trying to remove for 15 years.
Jean and Graham Underdown have spent the last 20 years trying to get the footpath that goes across their drive removed.
They claim this is not the first act of vandalism they have faced, including having rocks and a breeze block thrown at their cars.
Mud and dog mess is also often left on their drive, the couple claim, with their attempts to block the footpath causing upset.
They claim their privacy is being infringed but locals say their right to walk is being infringed. Vale of Glamorgan Council has refused requests to remove the footpath on multiple occasions.
South Wales Police received a report of criminal damage to a car in Clos Cwm Barri during the early hours of October 10.
Jean told WalesOnline: “Some people like to walk over and have a look at what I am growing in the garden and things like that. It is intrusive.
“We came here thinking: ‘Right, we have got a private drive. We will not have every Tom, Dick, and Harry walking through our property’, but that is exactly what happened.”
When the property was built in the ‘90s, developers made an agreement with the council that the footpath would remain in place.
The couple applied for its removal twice in 2009 and again in 2023. The council refused these on the grounds that the footpath had been in place since the ‘80s.
But Jean disputes this: “I am a fourth generation brought up in this area. My ancestors came to Barry in the late 1800s and we have been here ever since and I know there was no footpath over these fields ever.”
A council spokesperson said: “This matter was considered in detail, as was the comprehensive documentation submitted, at the meeting of the council’s public rights of way sub-committee.
“The committee determined that the application to delete the footpath as recorded on the definitive map be declined. The applicant has the right to appeal this decision. We understand this is currently being considered.”
