A Hamilton man has hit back at "petty" neighbours who complained about his garden shed after the council finally granted planning permission.
Alastair Leggate got the last laugh as he paraded a banner outside to celebrate his victory for all to see.
The 46-year-old received 11 anonymous complaints, sparking a two-year long feud.
The shed became home to two pigeons Alastair was given by a friend, but as time went on, the joiner received some unexpected visits by South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) officers.
The saga resulted in Alastair being forced to apply for planning permission in January this year - a hassle he said he didn't need, having not long recovered from coronavirus.
But once approved, Alastair displayed his "tongue and cheek" banner reading "Great news. Permission Granted".
He told Lanarkshire Live : “It actually started way back in August in 2019 when I built the shed.
"I built it for garden lawnmowers and stuff and storage. But a pal of mine, who keeps pigeons, gave me a pair of birds just as pets which I keep in the shed.
"I've got three kids, so they kept some rabbits in there too. That was fine, there was nothing said about it.
"It went until October last year and then I got the council and environmental health at the door.
"They said that a neighbour had complained about the pigeons. The council did a full inspection and said there's no problem, everything is nice and clean and tidy, they're only two pigeons and signed it off."
Alastair and the family thought that was the end of the issue, but in January the council approached him again after complaints were raised regarding a 'large structure' that had been built in his garden.
He added: “The council came back to check, but I just said 'I hadn't built a large structure, it's the same shed'.
"So, I had to go for planning permission for the shed which just seemed to be absolutely ridiculous. I got 11 anonymous complaints on the planning portal online.
“All the people round about us don't have any issue. I’m good pals with all my immediate neighbours and they said they had no problem after a letter was sent around about it from the council."
Last week, while on holiday in Blackpool, Alastair learned the council had granted him permission to keep the shed and his pigeons.
He admitted he couldn't wait to come home and get his banner up to celebrate his victory.
"We were down in Blackpool for five days and it was actually a neighbour who told us the council had given us permission to keep the shed because they got a letter.
"So, I thought 'straight up the road and I'll put up that sign'.
"The sign was a bit tongue in cheek because I don't know who complained. If someone had come to the door I would have compromised, but it's just ridiculous.
"Since I've put up the sign, I've someone chap the door and give me flowers for my wife because it cheered them up when they saw it.
"We've had people walking by shouting over the wall 'well done' and cars driving by to take pictures and beeping the horn. It's just gone mental.
"The sign is just a wee bit of happiness after the time we've had over the last two years. We don't need to be complaining about each other it's just nonsense.
"If I was genuinely causing someone upset we would have done something right away but it was just pettiness."
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