Neighbours' 'mad' wheelie bin dispute costs £15,000 Published duration 18 December 2013

media caption Wheelie bin court case costs £15,000

A "mad" disagreement over where a wheelie bin should be positioned has cost a man from Edgware in north-west London £15,000.

Liaquat Ali appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday after losing a civil action case in which his neighbour claimed his bin was blocking a shared driveway between their homes.

The neighbour's solicitor said his client was "satisfied".

The local MP said he would be taking the matter to the attorney general.

Mr Ali said: "Madness is an understatement."

In 2011 Iqbal Suleman said he wanted an understanding that neither neighbour would place their bins in the driveway they share in Brook Avenue.

'Absurd'

Barnet County Court ruled neither party should keep their wheelie bins there and Mr Suleman's solicitor asked for court costs of £36,000 to be paid.

Mr Ali, an IT consultant and father-of-two, argued the claim was excessive.

image caption Liaquat Ali shows the place where he used to place his wheelie bin

The costs he will have to pay were reduced to £15,733 but he said he was still "horrified" and would appeal.

He said: "It's really unbelievable. It's absurd... over a wheelie bin?

"It's a small 240 litre wheelie bin which people use all over the country. This is something I could never have dreamt of in my wildest dreams."

Mark Savill representing Mr Suleman said: "We are pleased that the costs issues in this case have now been concluded.

"We were prepared to forgo some of our arguments at the hearing and limit our costs to bring this matter to a conclusion and to avoid any further inconvenience to our clients."

Conservative MP for Hendon Matthew Offord said: "I certainly think it's ludicrous, particularly as the court has spent so much time considering this case when there's been no material loss to any party.

"There have been many cases over the years of neighbours falling out. It's certainly a damning example and I'll be taking it up with the attorney general."

Mr Ali said he has handed his bin back to Barnet Council.

Mr Suleman brings his out from behind his house when the binmen arrive, Mr Ali said.