Defiant pensioner, 69, stops telecoms firm erecting 50-foot 5G mast outside his house by parking his car and motor home on grass verge in one-man protest
- Michael Garman parked his motorhome on the land destined for a new 5G mast
- The 69-year-old says he owns the patch of land near outside his home in Suffolk
A defiant pensioner has stopped a telecoms firm from building a 50-foot 5G mast outside his home in Suffolk by parking his motor home on a grass verge in a one-man protest.
Michael Garman parked his vehicle on the verge and claimed he owned the land when he found workmen with a digger preparing to dig a hole for the mast outside his property in Lowestoft.
The retired plumber, 69, insists he owns the 130ft by 30ft patch of grass where the mast was set to be installed by Cignal Infrastructure Limited.
Work at the site has now been forced to a stop by Mr Garman, who sat outside in a deckchair while his neighbours supplied him with cups of tea.
The telecoms company were given permission to install the 15m mast to provide the area with 3G, 4G and 5G by East Suffolk Council back in March.
A spokesperson for the local authority said a letter had been sent to all households in the immediate area, including Mr Garman's house, and that a site notice was put up on January 13.
Michael Garman parked his vehicles on the verge and claimed he owned the land when he found workmen with a digger preparing to dig a hole for the mast outside his property in Lowestoft
Work at the site has now been forced to a stop by Mr Garman, who sat outside in a deckchair while his neighbours supplied him with cups of tea
Mr Garman parked his motorhome directly on the grass verge in a bid to stop the work
But Mr Garman, who started his one-man protest earlier this week, has forced the work to be temporarily put on hold.
'It states on my deeds it's my land', Mr Garman said. 'The council only adopted it in 1966 cause it was an accidental blackspot and they took over maintenance.
'At 7:30am Tuesday morning I moved my car and motorhome on to the grass.
'I then stood in front of the digger with my daughter for a while and proceeded to sit on a deck chair next to the hole in the ground. Neighbours were even bringing me cups of tea throughout the day.
'The contractor's bosses were getting really frustrated and eventually they called the police who came in the afternoon.
'But when they checked the deeds they refused to get involved, stating it was a civil matter.'
It is thought that the land was adopted by Suffolk County Council, who said its Highways Records team would be able to confirm ownership of the land next week.
But Mr Garman maintains that when he bought his home in 2021, it was never flagged in searches that the land does not belong to him.
The retired plumber, 69, insists he owns the 130ft by 30ft patch of grass where the mast was set to be installed by Cignal Infrastructure Limited
It is thought that the land was adopted by Suffolk County Council, who said its Highways Records team would be able to confirm ownership of the land next week
'The council do not have the right to say what happens on my land', the father-of-two added.
'The mast is really ugly and will be sit right by my bedroom window. I've already been told it will considerably devalue the my home.'
A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council said: 'During the consultation stage of the planning application for the mast, a number of local residents were consulted and a notice detailing the planning application was displayed at the site.
'We did not receive any formal comments regarding the application.'
