Woman faces eviction from alpaca farm (From Daily Echo)

Woman faces eviction from alpaca farm

4:10pm Friday 26th October 2012 in News

A HAMPSHIRE woman could be evicted from her home on an alpaca following a long-running dispute with the city council.

Sharon May, 40, is facing eviction from her mobile home on her alpaca farm in Ham Green, Sparsholt.

She has recently separated from her husband, Michael Lee, who was fined by the council in August for ignoring an enforcement notice after installing the mobile home without planning permission.

But Ms May said she would be homeless if she had to leave the home.

She said: “They are evicting me off the land and say I’m not entitled to have it here.

“They gave me an extra four weeks to leave after I broke my ankle last month. It’s a real predicament for me as I have nowhere else to go.

“I cannot stay with family, and I have looked into private renting but it costs £900 a month and I can’t afford that.

“My money goes on feed for the animals and paying off the loan we took to buy the land, and I still have to pay back £30,000 on that.

“I haven’t sold any alpacas recently either although I am trying to sell five.”

She added: “The council has offered me a shared house but I said no.

“I’ve worked for the council part-time for 23 years as a support officer, and I don’t think I should have to go into a shared house.”

Ms May pleaded guilty to breaching the enforcement notice at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday, and was fined £600 and ordered to pay £400 costs.

She has been given until Friday, November 16, to remove the home.

A council spokesman said if she does not comply the council could remove the home, or bring another criminal case against her.

The mobile home was required to be removed by February 29 this year, but subsequent council inspections showed it was still there.

In August Mr Lee argued in court that he needed the home to run the alpaca farm.

But a Government inspector had ruled there was no justification for it to be on site, and he was fined £1,300 and ordered to pay costs of £458.