Nigella, her neighbours

upstairs and a £50,000 row over

‘unsightly’ scaffolding

'Invasive': The voluptuous cook, 50, is in a row over scaffolding with her neighbours

Nigella Lawson has become embroiled in a bitter dispute with neighbours who live above her £10million home.



The self-styled Domestic Goddess and her husband, Charles Saatchi, took exception to scaffolding which was blocking the view from the rear of the Regency terrace in Belgravia, central London.



The couple, who own the bottom three floors of the six-storey building, are said to have pleaded with the Egyptian couple on floors four and five to remove the unsightly structure.



When nothing happened, art collector Mr Saatchi is said to have taken matters into his own hands, sending in his own workmen to take down the bars.



Police were called in after they allegedly caused £50,000 worth of damage by dumping the dismantled scaffolding on a set of marble bathroom tiles which had been shipped in from Italy.



Officers are understood to have interviewed 67-year-old Mr Saatchi and his workmen over allegations of potential criminal damage, but have since ruled that the dispute is a civil matter.



‘Charles Saatchi got the worst of the building work because the scaffolding was right outside his windows,’ a member of staff at the properties said.



A workman at the site said Mr Saatchi’s team had removed the scaffolding too quickly and a window had also been smashed.



Scaffolding saga: The £10million apartments in Eaton Square, Belgravia, central London, where the drama unfolded

He said the tiles had to be reordered from Italy – delaying the work even further.

‘The damage to the tiles was very bad,’ he added. ‘They were very, very expensive.’



Despite this, neighbours yesterday applauded Mr Saatchi for taking action.

Lorraine Bondarenko, who lives next door, said: ‘The scaffolding saga has gone on too long.



‘I know Charles was behind it getting taken down and we are all behind him on that. It was just dragging on and on. My sister is staying with me and there is banging all night so she can’t sleep.’



She described the Egyptian couple as ‘very charming and glamorous’ but added: ‘Enough is enough.’



Another neighbour, a woman in her fifties who did not want to be named, said: ‘The work has been going on for far too long and it is very invasive so I can understand how Charles and Nigella got fed up.



‘I don’t know how people get permission for knocking down walls in these heritage properties anyway.



Domestic Goddess: Nigella Lawson is currently appearing in a new series, Nigella Kitchen

‘Some have even started putting swimming pools in. I mean, this is Belgravia, not Hollywood.’



However, neighbour Paulo Marques, 45, a commercial director, said: ‘Some people will complain about anything. I know it was blocking his view but that is building work.



You have to accept it. Otherwise nothing would ever get built.’



Miss Lawson, 50, is currently appearing in a new series, Nigella Kitchen, on BBC2.



The voluptuous cook married the art collector, who made his £125million fortune with his brother through their advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi, in 2003, a year after her husband John Diamond’s death from cancer.



She was unavailable for comment yesterday. Mr Saatchi was at his property yesterday after returning from an art fair, but a housekeeper told the Mail: ‘He doesn’t want to say anything.’



A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: ‘Westminster officers investigated an allegation of criminal damage at a property which was alleged to have taken place over the August bank holiday weekend this year.



‘The criminal investigation has now been concluded and it is being dealt with as a civil matter.’

