A mother who spent years saving up for her three-bedroom semi-detached house says she was left in a four-year 'nightmare' when her neighbour illegally demolished his half of the property. 

Shivarna Mitra, 44, had been living at the house in Pudsey, Leeds, with her three-year-old son and elderly mother for 18 months when her 'aggressive' neighbour Chris Rhodes pulled down his portion of the property, leaving a pile of rubble and wild undergrowth.

Ms Mitra's side has been left with holes in its walls and roof, which she says have let in rats – who chewed through electric wires – as well as squirrels and wasps.

Damp and mould also spread across Ms Mitra's £217,000 'forever home', all while she was recovering from cancer, and rainwater has seeped into the once tranquil home, damaging the electrics, carpet and wallpaper. 

Ms Mitra now fears her house is unsellable after becoming structurally unsafe – and the mother is helpless to fix the issues as she cannot gain access to the land next door.

She said: 'I was really chuffed when I bought it – but the whole ordeal has been a nightmare and it's caused me to be very ill. 

'The list of problems is endless, and I don't have the funds or the help to fix it. I didn't ask for this, no one would ask for this, but shows it can happen to anyone.

'I spent a lot of money to turn this into a house of my dreams but now I have nothing to show for it.'

Images appear to show damage, including holes in Ms Mitra's walls and roof and overgrown land next door littered with detritus. 

The neighbour – who denies his building work caused the damage – was only served a stop notice by the council months after he started the project, when it was 'too little too late', according to Ms Mitra. 

He has since sold the plot with planning permission for £115,000 to another couple but the new pair are also 'not cooperating' with her, she claims. 

Ms Mitra said: 'Water has got in through the roof and holes in the wall and has caused mould and damp, affecting my son's chest and my health but no one cares.

'I have the heating on full blast in the winter as well as portable heaters. My bill is around £630 a month.

'Walls are cracked, expensive wallpaper and carpet has been ripped up. The decking had to be ripped up due to builders messing with the foundations and cutting through it, resulting in rats all under the new decking.'

Ms Mitra said she saved up for years to put a deposit down on the 'dream' house and spent £80,000 on renovations in the months after purchasing it in May 2021, including on a £35,000 garden complete with astroturf, and a new kitchen. 

The mother added: 'It was perfect for my family. It had a big garden for my son to play in and enough living space for him to grow up and for us to live comfortably.'

She said her original neighbour, an elderly woman, sold the property to Mr Rhodes for £280,000 in July 2022.

He seemed 'friendly and charming', according to Ms Mitra, and informed her of the work he planned to do.

But things soon changed, she claims, when she asked him to reconsider plans to knock down the downstairs party wall and he became aggressive.

Mr Rhodes lodged two planning applications for two extensions in June and August 2022, both of which were approved by Leeds Council.

But Ms Mitra claims he used the approvals as an excuse to illegally demolish his house, which he denies.

The mother recalls she did not worry too much when work began in 2022 because 'she didn't know much about construction or building practices'.

By December, however, things had changed after Mr Rhodes removed his property's roof allegedly leaving gaping holes and exposing Ms Mitra to the cold weather.

She says she called Leeds Council in January 2023 claiming her neighbour's work was in breach of planning consents.

Ms Mitra claims the authority asked him to stop, which he denied.

Mr Rhodes says that due to a storm 'the gable wall became unsafe' and 'following HSE guidance' and 'to avoid any risk or danger to others and their properties' he pulled down the wall as well as a further front wall.

The mother argues that had the council ordered him to stop when he first started, instead of in May 2023, the situation would have been salvageable.  

She said: 'He had pulled down his side of the party wall and the breeze blocks meaning I only had a layer of bricks protecting my house from the outside.

'From the foundations, first floor, second floor, and up to the roof I am now exposed.'

In July 2023, Mr Rhodes had an application to erect a new five-bedroom 'mansion' refused, but a second application for another house design was granted 10 months later.

Ms Mitra says the council has not helped her and officials have argued that the dispute is a civil matter.

Her insurance has filed a legal claim, but it is still two years before it goes to court, according to the mother.

She said: 'The council have a duty of care to its residents - I have not felt that way.

'In all my requests for help to ask if they could make sure my house is safe, they never once came out, leaving it all on me.'

Leeds City Council confirmed the property was demolished 'without necessary permissions' following concerns of structural instability.

It said a team had inspected the property and found it 'remained structurally stable'.

The council added: 'As these are privately owned properties, the council advised Ms Mitra to contact her house insurer and take legal advice.

'The council will continue to monitor the site and take any appropriate action as necessary.'

Mr Rhodes said: 'There were very unfortunate circumstances that cost my wife and me a significant amount of money and stress.

'This was a series of unfortunate circumstances that have created a bad situation, of which I tried to work with all parties concerned at every point to resolve.'