I went to war with my neighbour over his bins - now I'm bankrupt

A pensioner who lost a legal fight with a neighbour over where he put his bins out is now bankrupt as he says he was left with a £1million legal bill.

Geoff Carter, 77, first went to war with his farmer neighbour Trevor Goldsworthy over the weekly bin collections in rural west Cornwall in 2018.

He claimed Mr Goldsworthy's rubbish, which was left opposite his drive, had blocked access and attracted flies.

As part of the row, Mr Carter’s Skoda Fabia was seen on CCTV being picked up and moved from outside his home by a telehandler, driven by Mr Goldsworthy’s son Simon. 

Six years later, Mr Carter told The Sun he had been left a penniless widower after his wife Corinne, 69, tragically lost her battle with cancer three months ago.

He revealed that legal fees had cleared out of all his savings and assets, which had left him with no choice but to put his dream retirement home up for sale.

A heartbroken Mr Carter claimed he 'could've done so much' with Corrine in her final year, but instead they spent all their time fighting in their legal battle.

He said: 'Whatever happens to me, whether I end up in a hole, I have to make this right for my wife. It's not losing the house that's upset me, it's losing my wife.'

Mr Carter, who is currently renting a house while he prepares to declare bankruptcy, claimed the six-year spat had been 'driven all the way' by the other side.

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According to him, Mr Goldsworthy told the judge they had nowhere else to put the garbage.

When asked about the costs of the legal fight, Mr Carter said: 'It's almost a million at the moment but costs keep wracking up and it won't be long before we cross that threshold.

'It's such an awful mess and all this over some garbage from a load of workers who pick cauliflowers.'

After falling in love with the Cornish countryside on holiday, the Carters swapped their Buckhurst Hill, Essex, home for a cottage in the area in 2018.

But within weeks, they had fallen out with Mr Goldsworthy over where he left his rubbish for weekly bin collections.

After a court initially ruled against him, Mr Carter appealed against the decision, which was also unsuccessful.

He then took the fight to the high court, but his claims were rejected for a third time, leaving him with £420,000 worth of legal fees, which he paid for using an equity release on his home and the sale of a foreign property.

After the latest court ruling against him, Mr Carter will also now be liable for a legal bill of over £400,000 from the other side.

Surveys, expert reports and renting another property to avoid homelessness has also run up a six figure bill for the pensioner.

He claims he was initially told that the court case would cost between £60,000 and £80,000 and if he lost it would be doubled.

Auctioneers have told him the best sale price he would achieve is between £250,000 and £280,000, having once been valued at £450,000.

But his efforts to sell the home have been hampered as Mr Carter has to tell prospective buyers a court ruled they don’t have a right of access.

And an order imposed by the court also means he can’t sell without Mr Goldsworthy's permission.

Mr Carter also sought compensation through the courts for alleged damage to the car but that was also rejected.

Mr Goldsworthy previously confirmed to The Sun the case was over and the courts had found in his favour but declined to comment on the outcome.

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