IT'S SIX feet tall and over 30 feet long - and it's at the bottom of a Hampshire family's garden.

Hundreds of tonnes of earth and rubbish have blighted businessman Jeremy Paine's life since a bitter boundary row broke out with his neighbour in the sleepy village of West Wellow.

The row began last week when Mr Paine decided to replace a rotten fence which formed the border with fields owned by property investment firm Chatmohr Estates.

Mr Paine removed the fence and parts of a hedge that backed on to the fields and bought fencing materials which he planned to use to repair the boundary - and make it safe for his young family to play in.

But when he woke up on Wednesday morning he was amazed to find that a huge mound of earth towered 6ft over his back garden.

Now Mr Paine has vowed to take action against his neighbour in a bid to get the huge 30ft-long mound of earth removed.

The row began last week when Mr Paine, 30, who lives with his wife Williana and their three young children, decided to tear down the rotten fence which borders their £400,000 detached cottage.

Mr Paine bought brand new fence posts and wire in a bid to secure the back of his home - set in about half an acre of field - and tore down the existing rotten fence posts and hedge.

He removed the fence only to be confronted by his neighbours in the fields that back on to his home.

Mr Paine said: "All the fences needed to be replaced. We were going to put in new posts and rail fences. I took down the old fence over a week ago.

"Two days ago, I drove up my drive and saw two of the family looking over the fence. When I looked at them, I thought they were going to introduce themselves. I went over to one of them and he asked me: 'What are your proposals?' I said: 'What do you mean, my proposals?'

"I told him we were going to put up a new fence and he said we were now looking into his property and said we should put up a 6ft fence."

Undeterred, Mr Paine continued with the repairs.

But on Wednesday morning,he was shocked to find that diggers had dug a hole in the field backing on to his garden and hundreds of tonnes of earth had been put down as a new boundary.

Mr Paine, who moved into the detached cottage in February this year from the family's former home in Lordshill, added: "I could not believe it. My wife is 37 weeks pregnant. The last thing we want is stress like that."

Mr Paine's wife Williana added: "We lived in Lordshill for three years and I grew up in the country. We never had any problems like that before.

"We thought it would be nice for the children to grow up in the countryside and look at the problems we have, it is unbelievable."

Chairman of Wellow Parish Council Veronica Perry said she understood that if people wanted to put up a 6ft boundary they would have to have planning permission.

She said: "Mr Paine should contact Test Valley and possibly his own lawyers. I don't think you can just do earthworks without planning permission."

A spokesman for Test Valley Borough Council said there was "very little" that the council could do as the row was essentially a private dispute between neighbours.

She said: "The council is not really in a position to assist. We can give out advice, but probably in the case of a private land dispute Mr Paine would need to resolve the matter directly with his neighbour.

"They need to ideally resolve it between themselves but they can always come to us if they want advice. There is probably not any legislation that would allow us to intervene."

Mr Ami Brar, from Chatmohr Estates, told the Daily Echo: "This is a neighbourly dispute and it will be going to the lawyers.

"According to the deeds of his house he has to maintain that fence at all times to stock standard.

"If there is no fence then it risks my animals getting out on to the A36. What we have done is there for a reason - to protect our horses.

"He has taken down a boundary fence and there was nothing left there so it was up to us to protect our animals. Thatearth is on my land - we are not encroaching on his.

"He is not entitled to a view.

"Chatmohr Estates, the company, has nothing to do with this. We live at Chatmohr House. It is a dispute between neighbours and it is in the hands of our solicitors."

Mr Paine said he was not surprised at the response. "I can't understand his reasoning as I was trying to maintain the fence but you can't put one up without taking the first one down.

"If animals were anywhere near that field that backs on to our garden then I would have put something up in the interim but they never are. Those fields are never used for horses."