A COUPLE are facing legal bills of nearly £5,000 after failing to persuade a court to overturn a ban on their dogs barking.

Judge Tim Milligan rejected John and Brigitte Tee-Hillman's bid to throw out a noise abatement order made after neighbours complained about the racket made by their four guard dogs.

Three of the dogs are Great Danes with Arthurian names. One, Sir Galahad, is thought to be the largest dog in the world.

But Judge Milligan heard yesterday that it was another of the couple's dogs, called Mordrey, which was going blind, that was the cause of the complaint.

Unable to see properly it barked at any strange noise, sparking its three king-sized companions into life.

Neighbours complained to New Forest District Council that the barking was relentless and made their lives "hell".

An environmental health

officer found the dogs barked for 31 minutes out of 73 during a random visit.

As a result, the couple, of Gorse Meadow, Sway Road, Lymington, were made the subject of a noise abatement order.

Mr Tee-Hillman, 72, defending himself and his wife, called the move "draconian".

He said next door neighbours Keith and Vanessa Gibbs had provoked the dogs by putting a chicken coop near their compound.

He suggested they should have installed a fence to block the noise and said country people didn't mind "country noises".

Neighbours described the dogs' noise as "deep, low and repetitive".

Mrs Tee-Hillman admitted in the witness box that Mordrey, five, "barked all the time but I didn't know why".

Judge Milligan later said: "We consider that a plain admission that there was nuisance."

The couple's case was rejected by Judge Milligan, who said: "There was no merit in this appeal."

Afterwards he ordered them to pay £2,381.38p costs, bringing the couple's legal bill alone to £4,705.78.

The court heard since the noise abatement order there had been no problems with barking because the couple had discovered Mordrey was blind and had kept her inside.

Following the hearing, Mr Tee-Hillman said: "I think injustice has been repeated. I think that the law may be wrong."

Relieved neighbour, Keith Gibbs, said: "I am just delighted. It is going to be peaceful now. We have got nothing against dogs. I love dogs. Hopefully this will resolve everything."