WITH its idyllic setting in an apparently peaceful County Durham backwater, the cottage chosen by Sue and Richard Evans should have been the perfect rural retreat.

Instead their dream home has turned into a nightmare and they and other residents are facing a second public inquiry in less than a year.

Earlier this week, Mr and Mrs Evans watched a barricade of seven old doors go up yards from their new conservatory at their home in The Hollow, near Crook.

On Tuesday night, 30 minutes after The Northern Echo telephoned the couple's neighbour, Fred Wilson, to discuss the issue, more doors were placed close to their kitchen window and conservatory along a 30ft fence separating their garden from Mr Wilson's field. The first barrier prevents them from getting to part of their land and blocks access to a grassed track which walkers claim should be a public right of way.

The track, which runs across Mr Wilson's land, has been closed since autumn 1998, when gates went up at either end.

People who claim to have used the path for many years protested and submitted evidence to Durham County Council, which will decide whether it should be marked on the definitive map of the area.

Mrs Evans, who moved from the South-East three years ago, said: "We can't believe this is happening. It is a terrible atmosphere to live in. A few weeks ago some daffodils were torn up from the grass verge and we don't know why.

"My husband watched Mr Wilson and his son, Andrew, nail the doors to his fence along the back of our house. They have glass in them and they are dangerous"

On Saturday night, The Hollow's residents are holding a celebration party on a patch of land they won the right to call their village green.

Mr Wilson, who has declined to comment on the matter, had claimed the land as his own and the dispute went to a public inquiry last December.

Mrs Evans said: "We thought we were coming to a quiet corner of the country and we have put a lot of time and effort into our home. Now there are times when we wish we had never heard of County Durham, and especially The Hollow.