Curtains Might Have Been A Cheaper Course Of Action…

Pensioners who spent £100,000 in a failed legal battle to force their neighbours to remove a large lantern have blasted the High Court after losing their appeal. Roger and Margaret Hunt, both 80, launched a private prosecution against their neighbours over a Victorian-style lantern, which Mr and Mrs Hunt insist shone into the bedroom window of their home in Deal, Kent.

And, typically for these cases, it's all someone else's fault that they are now out of pocket. 

Mrs Hunt, a retired school teacher, said today: 'This is just us being picked on – we are lucky we have the means to stick up for ourselves in this case.'

Retired accountant Mr Hunt added: 'We were made to pay £6,000 pounds of costs to them after we lost the initial findings. That is very unusual in a statutory nuisance case, you're normally immune.

'But then when we tried to dispute the magistrates' findings – the costs racked up to over £100,000 including our solicitors. 'The stupid thing is we aren't that worried about losing £75,000 - because we're more worried about what they may do next.'

Truly, a fool and their money are soon parted, and hiring solicitors and going to war with neighbours is one of the surest ways to accomplish that! 

Their son Jonathan Hunt, who is in his 40s, was forced to retire from teaching classics at Winchester College private school due to chronic health issues and moved in with his parents in 2012.

Jonathan added: 'We clearly don't have infinite supplies of money to bring or defend legal actions. We have not been able to stop harassing acts like their spotlights being flashed at us and wind chimes being wrung out.

'Only our solicitors have been able to get them to stop doing things they've been doing. But we don't have endless money and we don't know what to expect next. We just don't understand them.' Jonathan also slammed the advice his family were given. Mr and Mrs Hunt did not initially get legal representation after reading that their statutory nuisance claim could be resolved in court without a barrister.

*sighs* 

Hey, Grenfell Fraudsters - Over Here!

In bed in west Wales, with a laptop propped up on the sheets, Jemima is patching up Britain’s welfare state.

Well, since, despite the best efforts of the likes of Frances Ryan to convince us, we don't have people starving in the streets, she must be doing a bang up job!

So who is this wonder woman?

The 39-year-old has never been elected or even been paid a wage – in fact, she’s more likely to give out her own money than receive it – but amid Brexit cabinet infighting, Jemima offers something few ministers can: she knows what it’s like to struggle to pay the bills.

Fine, fine. So...what does she do, exactly?

Jemima knows all too well that one of the worst parts of poverty is the shame of asking for help.

The Biscuit Fund turns this on its head: instead of people in need having to turn up to a charity, Jemima and volunteers scour the internet – anything from benefit forums to cries for help on Facebook – and come to them.

I bet she never has trouble finding any.