Family Who Bought Dream Home Now Fears Children Could Be ‘Killed’ In Their Own Backyard

A family who recently moved into their dream home now fear their children could be “killed” in their backyard.

The couple admitted they are now scared to spend any time in the garden as they worry their children could die.

But before you think, it has nothing to do with crime or poor landscaping, as the house is an extremely undesirable place.

Rebecca Dixon, 29, and her husband Alex, 32, are residents of a newly built condominium who only discovered when they moved in that they have noisy and, frankly, annoying neighbors.

The home in Callerton, Newcastle, is a two-bedroom semi-detached house which was purchased for £134,000 in November 2022, with the family moving in in August 2023.

The Dixons, parents to Lily, four, and Alfie, 12 weeks, claim they were not told by developers that their family home would be next to Westerhope Golf Club.

They say they are now unable to use their backyard because, despite the high fence between them and the course, golf balls frequently crash into their facility at high speeds.

Speaking about the dangers of being near the golf club, Rebecca shared: “The golf balls were coming from the point of the day. We had several golf balls in my garden. I nearly got hit by a golf ball and my neighbour had golf balls in her garden.

“I have a four-year-old daughter and a 12-week-old boy,” she added. “If they were hit by a golf ball they would die. It’s not just a broken leg, they’re going to be seriously injured. We can’t use our garden – I have to go to a funfair.”

The Briton claimed a golf ball also smashed the window of a car across the street.

The customer service representative states that they were told that the home would be far enough away from the golf course to avoid this issue, but would still have a view of the golf course.

“We were told there would be no properties behind us and that we would have a beautiful private garden,” the mother-of-two explained. “We never saw the property until the day we exchanged the keys and by then it was too late.”

The neighbour Rebecca mentioned is Lyn Stott, 65 – who moved into a similar property next door for £200,000 in 2023 – also shared her disastrous experience of living near the club.

Stott, who works as a first responder, shared: “I’ve had three golf balls in my yard since the netting was installed. I was ironing the other day and left my patio doors open. I heard a huge bang and a golf ball hit my wall. If it had gone a foot further it would have gone past and hit me!”

The grandmother also said she had her garden landscaped for £4,000 and that neither she nor her grandchildren are allowed to spend time in it due to safety concerns, which left her “furious” as she did not know when she moved in how close she would be to the golf course and that a fence would be built, which had not been done at the time.

Stott claimed Bellway, the developer of the development, told her to contact Newcastle City Council, while the council said the issue should be resolved by housebuilders.

When contacted, a Bellway spokesperson told the Newcastle Chronicle: “Bellway has not received any previous complaints relating to golf balls falling into homeowners’ gardens or the location of properties in relation to the golf course.

“The 12-metre high golf net was a key requirement of our planning conditions as it was designed to prevent balls from putting residents at risk, and was installed by a company specialising in installing nets of this type.

“Due to poor weather and issues with the supply and installation of the network, it was installed after residents had moved into the properties, but has now been fully completed in early summer. However, given the issues being highlighted to us, we are arranging for an inspection by a specialist company to ensure the network is working as designed.

“As part of our regulated sales procedures, clients are provided with detailed information about the location of a plot and any information relevant to the sale, such as being adjacent to a golf course. This is clearly highlighted on the site plans and other important information provided to our clients at the time of booking.

“In addition, during the conveyancing process, lawyers would provide any relevant information to clients about their property, its location and any other relevant information.”

The statement continued: “Prior to legal completion, clients are also given the opportunity to visit their new home for demonstrations and again in this case no complaints have been received regarding the location of the homes at the time of these visits or subsequently.”

A Newcastle City Council spokesman also said: “A planning condition requiring Bellway to prevent golf balls from hitting properties was put in place before any homes were sold.

“This required the installation of a network that was not in place before the homes were occupied. The council took enforcement action against Bellway and the network has now been installed.

“We cannot comment on what information Bellway has given residents on this matter.”