Latest news with #Camberley
Times
10 hours ago
- General
- Times
How to fit a water butt to save water this summer
Q. With the potential for water restrictions this summer, I would love to install a butt to collect rainwater for my plants. Are there any considerations I should be aware of before attempting to fit one? Keziah, Camberley A. There are many designer and wall-mounted space-saving options available, so take advantage of all your gutter downpipes — and don't hide your water butt out of sight. Whichever style you opt for, ensure you can fit a watering can under the tap; if necessary, buy a stand to raise it. If you have room for more than one butt, I recommend linking two or three side by side to collect even more water. To harvest water from the downpipe, you'll need to buy a rainwater diverter kit that's suitable for either your square or round downpipe, ideally in a matching colour. With your water butt positioned on a stable base next to your downpipe, you can determine the correct height to attach the diverter kit. This measurement is crucial as it must be fitted at a height just above the inlet pipe of the water butt, allowing the diverted water to flow freely into it. However, it should not be higher than the lid of the butt itself, as we want excess water to flow back into the drains when the butt is full. • How to create a Chelsea-inspired water feature The diverter works by intercepting the water in its trough as it runs down the inside edge of the drainpipe, diverting it into the butt. Once full, excess water will flow back into the drainpipe, preventing it from overfilling. To fit the diverter, you first need to cut your plastic downpipe horizontally across using a universal handsaw. It may feel tricky to cut alongside the wall, but it's not impossible. It helps if you can turn the pipe away from the wall as you cut. You may need to loosen the lower fixing wall brackets to facilitate this. With the pipe cut in two and the lower half dropped slightly, you should be able to manipulate the diverter into position. Then, raise the lower pipe to create a snug fit and tighten the wall bracket to secure it. Using the flexi pipes supplied with your diverter kit, link everything together. Fitting a water butt is not only a DIY win for you but an environmental win for us all. Follow Wayne Perrey at
The Sun
6 days ago
- The Sun
Frantic search for boy, 15, who vanished nearly a week ago from historic town
A POLICE search has been launched for a 15-year-old boy who was last seen six days ago. The teen, identified as Billy, was last seen leaving his home in Camberley, Surrey, on June 15 and has not been heard from since.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- The Sun
Mum locked in bitter row with neighbours over bus parked on her OWN drive as fuming locals say it ‘ruins the ambience'
A FURIOUS mum-of-two says she is being 'treated like a criminal' after 'stuck up' neighbours complained about a double-decker bus parked on her drive. The council has ordered Wendy Salmon, 55, to remove the vehicle after complaints that it 'ruined the ambience'. 6 6 Salmon, who runs a pub, accused her neighbours of 'rallying' against her by complaining to the council about the bus. She described the situation as 'ridiculous' and accused neighbours of being 'curtain twitchers' who 'act like they own the street'. Despite Surrey Heath Council accepting she was 'not breaking any laws', Salmon was hit with a CPN, formerly known as an ASBO. She must remove the bus by June 20 after a bitter two year legal battle. She said: "The wording of the CPN was that it was 'upsetting the ambience of the local area'. 'Now no-one speaks to me. All my neighbours completely ignore me. ''I'm being treated like a criminal even though I've never committed a crime in my life. The huge falling-out started in March 2023 when Salmon bought the double-decker bus for £6,000 from a friend's brother. She said her plan was to convert the bus into a bar and cafe for private parties and events. Wendy added: "I keep myself to myself but this was going to be a business for me and my children. 'I am still hoping to do it but it's going to be a lot more costly and difficult.' Her street in Camberley is lined with four bedroom detached properties with an average house price of around £600,000. Salmon's house is at the end of the cul-de-sac. She said her drive was out of the view of most of the residents complaining. Salmon said: "This was started by just one neighbour who did not like the look of something. 'I had to tell her she does not own my house - she does not own the street. You can not even see it until you get to the end of the drive." "I wanted this to be an investment for my children, giving them an opportunity to work for themselves as they both have a passion for food,' Salmon told SWNS. But within fifteen minutes of parking the bus outside her home, a man arrived to ask if it would be a 'permanent feature'. After an hour, the mum-of-two said he returned to warn her that there would be more complaints. Salmon said: 'Over the next few days his wife spoke to me and asked various questions. 'I told her that I was renovating the bus and that I hoped it would be completed in three months." 6 6 The bus was then reported as 'abandoned', which led to a visit from Surrey Heath Borough Council. The council initially confirmed via email that there are no planning restrictions, and no further action would be taken. But two weeks later, the council told Salmon a further complaint had been received. Salmon claimed this was from a different neighbour who couldn't see the bus from their house but was a 'friend of the initial complainer'. She added: "I later received another visit from the council and I showed them the inside of the bus, clearly work had been carried out. 'Apparently, my neighbour had told them that she didn't want to see my bus while she was sitting watching TV in the summer." Wendy received an email from the council advising her to register the vehicle as off the road and complete the renovation as soon as possible. She said: "Yet a few months later I received a Community Protection Warning (CPW) from the council. 'It said that if I can't comply with the order I could get a fixed penalty notice, be prosecuted, or the bus could be destroyed or disposed of.' Salmon said the warning had an 'impossible timescale'. 6 A few months later, the CPN arrived and she had 'no choice' but to appeal. Salmon's limited funds meant she had to represent herself in court. She reluctantly dropped the appeal after getting the wording of the CPN changed. She said: "The council team was saying that after eight months the bus was still on my drive, and it needed to be moved. "They couldn't comprehend that their actions had caused the delay. "I reminded them that the CPN meant the bus would not be allowed to park in a residential area in Surrey Heath, and I explained how this would affect my business plan. "The bottom line was if I didn't agree to move the bus then I would have to go into court and be cross examined. "I didn't want my personal life played out in court, knowing that I would be the victim yet again of local gossip. "We went in front of the judge, I explained that the only reason I was dropping the appeal was because it was making me ill, with my family including my 79-year-old father having been bullied by my neighbours. "I don't know what the future holds, but I do not like my previously loved home. 'I don't want to leave the house as I feel bullied, neighbours no longer speak to me or my partner. "I have had over a year of sleepless nights, stress and anxiety. My dream of restoring the bus is no longer something that I want to do. "It is the council and my neighbour who have upset the ambiance in the local area, not me." "It's getting so close to the deadline I think I will put it in the pub car park for now," she added. Salmon claims that only one neighbour had 'an issue' with the bus and 'wouldn't let it rest'. 'The neighbour is just so stuck up and doesn't like the way it looked and only cared what people might think,' she said. "She just didn't like the way it looked and instigated complaints." The neighbour who launched the complaint was unavailable to comment. Surrey Heath Council said in a statement: "We are unable to comment on this case at present." 6
Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Telegraph
Mother forced to remove double-decker bus from driveway
A woman who parked a double-decker bus on her drive to restore it and turn it into a cafe is being forced to move it after her neighbours complained. Wendy Salmon, 55, put the vehicle outside her home in Camberley, Surrey, temporarily to renovate it. But the mother-of-two has received a community protection notice (CPN) and been told to remove it by June 20 after neighbours said it was 'ruining the ambience' of the cul-de-sac. She has accused neighbours of 'rallying' the others on the street against her by complaining it was an eyesore. Ms Salmon, who runs a pub, bought the double-decker bus for £6,000 from a friend's brother in March 2023 and parked it on her private driveway to convert into a cafe to host parties and events. She claimed neighbours started to complain almost immediately and that she was visited by a member of Surrey Heath Borough Council's Corporate Enforcement Department after the bus was reported as abandoned. The council initially confirmed via email that there were no planning restrictions and no further action would be taken. However, it contacted her two weeks later to say a further complaint had been received. 'I received a community protection notice from the council,' said Ms Salmon. 'It said that if I can't comply with the order I could get a fixed penalty notice, be prosecuted, or the bus could be destroyed or disposed of. 'The warning had an impossible timescale, making it extremely challenging to get the bus ready for an MOT to make it legal to drive. A few months after this, the community protection notice arrived. I had no choice but to appeal.' Ms Salmon appeared in court but dropped the appeal and agreed to remove the bus from her drive. She said: 'The wording of the CPN was that it was 'upsetting the ambience of the local area'. Now no one speaks to me. All my neighbours completely ignore me. I'm being treated like a criminal even though I've never committed a crime in my life. 'The whole thing is just ridiculous... There is no way it is impacting or bothering them. It is just snobbery, pure and simple. 'I don't know what the future holds, but I do not like my previously loved home, I don't want to leave the house as I feel bullied, neighbours no longer speak to me or my partner. I have had over a year of sleepless nights, stress and anxiety. My dream of restoring the bus is no longer something that I want to do.'
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Neighbours at war after mother who parked double-decker bus on her driveway to renovate it was hit by 'ASBO' after snobby complaints
A mother who parked a double decker bus on her driveway has been ordered to remove it after 'snobby' neighbours complained it was spoiling their view. Wendy Salmon was criticised by locals when she left the vehicle at the end of the leafy cul-de-sac street in Surrey on a temporary basis with hopes of renovating it. It sparked a row with families on the street, who reported her to the council. The 55-year-old, who runs a pub, has accused the neigbours of being 'curtain twitchers' after the council accepted she was 'not breaking any laws'. Following a two-year-battle, the mother-of-two must now remove her vehicle by June 20. Ms Salmon argued her neighbours were 'treating [her] like a criminal' and going behind her back. She said: 'The wording of the CPN was that it was "upsetting the ambience of the local area". Now no-one speaks to me. All my neighbours completely ignore me. 'I'm being treated like a criminal even though I've never committed a crime in my life. 'The whole thing is just ridiculous. The council said it needed a certain amount of witnesses so a neighbour went knocking on doors to try and drum up the hatred against me. She went straight on the attack. 'All her friends up the road can not even see the bus from their home. There is no way it is impacting or bothering them. It is just snobbery pure and simple.' Ms Salmon's street in Camberley is lined with four-bedroom detached properties with an average house price of around £600k. Her house is at the end of the cul-de-sac, and she has said her drive is out of the view of most of the residents complaining. Ms Salmon added: 'I keep myself to myself but this was going to be a business for me and my children. I am still hoping to do it but it's going to be a lot more costly and difficult. 'This was started by just one neighbour who did not like look of something. I had to tell her she does not own my house - she does not own the street. You can not even see it until you get to the end of the drive.' Problems began in March 2023 when Ms Salmon bought the Dennis double-decker bus for £6k from a friend's brother and parked it in her private driveway to renovate it. She explained: 'My plan was to convert the bus into a bar/cafe, offering private parties and events. 'I wanted this to be an investment for my children, giving them an opportunity to work for themselves as they both have a passion for food. 'Within 15 minutes of if being parked the man next door appeared to ask if it was a permanent fixture. 'Within another hour he returned to say that there will be complaints. Over the next few days his wife spoke to me and asked various questions. I told her that I was renovating the bus and that I hoped it would be completed in three months.' The bus was then reported as 'abandoned', which resulted in a visit from a member of Surrey Heath Borough Council's Corporate Enforcement Department. The council initially confirmed via email there are no planning restrictions, and no further action would be taken. But two weeks later, officers contacted Ms Salmon to say a further complaint had been received. She said: 'This was from a different neighbour. This neighbour cannot see the bus from their position on the road but is a friend of the initial complainer. 'I later received another visit from the council and I showed them the inside of the bus, clearly work had been carried out. Apparently, my neighbour had told them that she didn't want to see my bus while she was sitting watching TV in the summer.' Ms Salmon received an email from the council advising her to SORN (declare it will be kept off the road) the vehicle and complete the renovation as soon as possible. She added: 'Yet a few months later I received a Community Protection Warning (CPW) from the council. It said that if I can't comply with the order I could get a fixed penalty notice, be prosecuted, or the bus could be destroyed or disposed of. 'The warning had an impossible timescale, making it extremely challenging to get the bus ready for an MOT to make it legal to drive. 'A few months after this, the CPN arrived. I had no choice but to appeal.' Ms Salmon said limited funds meant she had to represent herself in court, and she reluctantly dropped the appeal after getting the wording of the CPN changed. She added: 'The council team was saying that after eight months the bus was still on my drive, and it needed to be moved. 'They couldn't comprehend that their actions had caused the delay. 'I reminded them that the CPN meant the bus would not be allowed to park in a residential area in Surrey Heath, and I explained how this would affect my business plan. 'The bottom line was if I didn't agree to move the bus then I would have to go into court and be cross examined. 'I didn't want my personal life played out in court, knowing that I would be the victim yet again of local gossip. 'I agreed to move the bus, if they agreed to change the wording on parking in a residential area. 'We went in front of the judge, I explained that the only reason I was dropping the appeal was because it was making me ill, with my family including my 79-year-old father having been bullied by my neighbours. 'I don't know what the future holds, but I do not like my previously loved home, I don't want to leave the house as I feel bullied, neighbours no longer speak to me or my partner. 'I have had over a year of sleepless nights, stress and anxiety. My dream of restoring the bus is no longer something that I want to do. 'It is the council and my neighbour who have upset the ambiance in the local area, not me.' Ms Salmon says in addition to the £6k to buy the bus she has spent around £2k on 'recycled' materials to restore it. 'It's getting so close to the deadline I think I will put it at the pub car park for now,' she added. 'This neighbour was the only one who had an issue with it. The council inspected initially and said they had no issue. 'But she wouldn't let it rest. The neighbour is just so stuck up and doesn't like the way it looked and only cared what people might think. 'But is it the end of a cul de sac and I have to drive in front of her house to get on the drive. You can not see the bus and it is really tucked away. 'She just didn't like the way it looked and instigated complaints.' The neighbour who launched the complaint was unavailable to comment.
