Couple whose family have lived on land for 300 years ignore council's eviction notice - and take in Ukrainian cats
28.04.2022 - 12:41
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A couple who were told they were being evicted from their home by Bolton Council have insisted they're not leaving - and have even taken in dozens of cats who escaped the war in Ukraine for the next three months.
David and Karen Yates' family have tended the land at Earls Farm in Hardwood for more than 300 years, and David took over tenancy when his father, William, died in 1995. The pair say they have not been paying any rent since 2007, after they say they were promised a new tenancy contract from the council which never materialised, and were recently advised to take 'adverse possession' of the land - also known as squatters rights - and made an application to Her Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR).
But following the application, the couple were issued with an eviction notice from the council - within which they were told the local authority would 'strenuously defend' the application and that they had to leave the land by April 30.
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However, the pair have no plans to leave. On top of it being their home, David, 65, and Karen, 54, have also established an 84-animal cattery, an innovative manufacturing hub for making barley straw which kills green algae, a facility for 'Men in Sheds' - the men's mental health charity - and a beauty and nail treatment business there.
And the pair say they will continue to run their businesses despite the threat of eviction hanging over them - and even have some slightly unusual guests coming to stay with them later this week. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) contacted Karen recently, asking if the pair would be able to house cats that had been brought to the UK