A NEIGHBOURHOOD nightmare has left a Gornal woman desperate for help to reclaim her garden from rogue builders.

Katie Timmins is battling with Dudley Council for action to remove a dangerous wall constructed an astonishing six feet into her property.

The single mum, who shares her home on Brookdale with her six-year-old daughter, is at the end of her tether after being told the wall, which was built illegally by council tenants living in the house at the rear of her home, may be there for another year.

Katie, aged 30, is now considering radical action because she says the authority is not taking her seriously. She said: “I feel like withholding my council tax, why bother paying? They have turned their back on helping us when we needed it most, they just see me as a moaning homeowner.

“My daughter can’t play in the garden and I can’t stay in the house because this is going on, we have to go camping or just get out. I am just happy when I am at work.”

The wall went up two years ago and initially Katie did not realise it was being built on her land. After failed attempts to negotiate with her neighbours Katie, who owns her home, called in the council.

An engineer visited Katie’s home to put up a temporary fence next to the wall but after seeing the dodgy foundations for himself, put the fence up halfway down the garden - just in case the wall were to collapse.

Katie’s neighbours were eventually issued with an ultimatum to remove the dangerous structure by the end of September but have failed to do so.

Katie, who works as a medical administrator, has now been told council builders will have to do the work, but she is on a waiting list and the job may not be done for more than 12 months.

She said: “Dudley put this on a list of jobs for next year, they can’t give me a date. Nobody can believe how this has been handled, they seem to have fobbed me off. I just don’t know what to do.”

Katie has the support of Upper Gornal councillor Dean Perks, he said: “The way she has been treated is despicable, she has given the council ample opportunity to do something.

“The council should stick up for people who can’t stick up for themselves, I want to see this resolved – the council needs to enforce.”

Dudley Council remains unable to explain why the wall may have to stay up for another year.

A spokesman for the authority said: “After being made aware of the issue we wrote to our tenant to ask them to remove the wall by the end of September.

“As this has not been done, we are now making plans for the wall to be removed as soon as possible and will liaise closely with Ms Timmins.”