Several residents have been threatened with court action after erecting bamboo screens to shield their gardens from the view of nosey bus passengers.

Council tenants at Hill View in Dartford believe the absence of suitable fencing amounts to an unacceptable intrusion of their privacy and have likened it to "living in the Big Brother house".

Hill View residents say they want action over privacy issues in their gardens

Originally, large hoardings were in place when the social homes were nearing completion but they've since been replaced with smaller 1.5 metre black railings.

Residents claim their back gardens – which front two busy main roads in and out of the Temple Hill estate – are left exposed and are constantly littered with rubbish, including discarded face masks and bags of dog mess.

Peeping passengers using Fasttrack bus services, which stop outside every 10 minutes, are also reported to be peering into homes and speaking inappropriately to small children who have nowhere else to play.

Gaps and the size of the railings also mean pets can easily escape into the road and drugs have been found in some yards.

Residents have asked for railings to be modified in height and covered. Dartford council says it is "aware of concerns" and has previously implemented changes to the fence that benefits tenants while complying with planning conditions and the "street scene".

They are encouraging residents to get in touch with the authority directly so that it can keep an "open dialogue" about potential options.

It comes after some dissatisfied tenants took matters into their own hands during the pandemic and erected bamboo screens and fence panels.

They were later told by the council to remove these – either themselves or at a clean-up cost calculated by the authority of £243.49 each.

Some residents have been threatened with court action and handed community protection warning letters over their "anti-social behaviour" and its perceived "detrimental effect".

Among those to receive "ASBO" warnings was Jess Evans, 27, who likened the level of exposure in her home to "living in the Big Brother house".

The mum-of-four said: "People are constantly talking to the children through the fence, even playing with them and passing their toys back through the fence. Cars are having to stop to stop running the kids over.

"We have had people staring into our houses to the point where I'm waving at them now because it's getting so annoying."

But her biggest fear is her own children's safety, with two of her young sons having been diagnosed with ADHD.

It's a problem for Jess and other neighbours who must keep their back doors open when cooking, or in the hot summer months, as there are no ground floor windows opening to the rear of the properties.

Jess added: "I'm fearful due to being so close to the bus stop and hearing about children being abducted.

"This may happen as it is so easy to grab a child and get on a bus or car and be gone. This is a garden and should be safe and us not have to worry."

The Hill View resident says she and others contacted local MP Gareth Johnson and have been "back and forth" with council officers but to no avail.

She said: "We've tried getting planning permission. Every time we've spoken to the council it's all different stories.

KMTV reports on resident's issues with privacy in Temple Hill

"One minute we are allowed, one minute we are not. We've been issued ASBOs, court orders just to keep our kids safe."

Initially, a council officer told Jess that appropriate fencing could be installed provided it was the height of the existing black fence or lower.

"Appropriate fencing would be black plastic mesh or similar but must be in keeping with the aesthetic of the property," they said in a written response.

But after filling out a property alteration form, in line with their instructions, Jess says hers and other neighbours' requests were rejected due to existing "planning conditions".

Instead, Hill View residents have been told they can erect bushes so long as they are no higher than 1.8 metres.

The block was officially opened in 2017 by Lord John Attlee, the grandson of former Prime Minister Clement Attlee. The post war leader had himself opened the wider Temple Hill estate in 1947.

Last year, one of the homes was shut down temporarily after tenants inside were reported to be causing an "unacceptable level of nuisance" to neighbours with anti-social behaviour and drug use going on inside.

The current tenants say they do not feel safe and have been told by the council to report any suspicious and inappropriate behaviour to police.

But neighbours who spoke to KentOnline felt let down by the authority and said they were good tenants who paid rent on time and deserved better.

Another mum, Louise Vincent, 36, said it was about safety rather than cost, adding: "I would be willing to pay for the fencing for the safety of my children.

"We've been given ASBOs for putting fences up."

Neighbour Kayleigh Bean, 33, who lives in another part of Hill View, besides Temple Hill Square, said they were being made to feel uncomfortable in their own homes.

"It's also the privacy of the home," she said. "People just watching what you are doing inside your home and in your garden."

Kayleigh added: "It's either in their words, become a criminal and get a court action against us, or take the fence down."

Kent County councillor for Dartford North East Kelly Grehan (Lab) said she was "perplexed" by the planning barriers, adding that families should feel safe in their own homes and gardens.

"I've visited these properties and I know I would not feel comfortable using the garden," said Cllr Grehan.

"I have raised this matter several times and frankly I'm perplexed as to how a planning condition was ever granted that basically means any attempts to stop all activity in the garden being on full view on a busy street is a not allowed.

"I don't see how any other person would be adversely affected by residents putting up a fence or growing some bushes."

A Dartford council spokesman said: “The council is aware of concerns tenants in Hill View have regarding their privacy and security.

“The council take such matters very seriously and we have previously considered, and implemented changes to the fence that benefit tenants, comply with planning conditions and complement the street scene.

“Moving forward we’d encourage residents to get in touch with the council directly so that we can keep an open dialogue about potential options at Hill View.”

And now, after repeated complaints, it says a solution has been found.

Council leader Jeremy Kite said: “I always believe that there’s usually a perfectly common-sense solution to be found.

"In the case of railings we provided around our new council homes at Temple Hill, the solutions that families have used to secure their privacy are, technically, in need of planning permission which they don’t have but it seems to me that the common-sense thing to do is to find a solution that IS allowable. That’s exactly what we have now done.

"We will offer to install fences of an approved, attractive design that secures the privacy of families and is also appropriate to the quality and design of the building.

"Families are one-hundred percent entitled to feel secure in their homes and I think their views about feeling exposed by the openness to the nearby pavement and road are entirely reasonable.

"Our housing team are sympathetic to that and want to find a solution. The Council will carry out the work as part of our ongoing maintenance of our new-builds at no cost to the householders.

"The solution will then conform with all the planning requirements and meet the needs of residents."