Unlike His Former Neighbour,

retired university lecturer Jack Tasker,

replaced the thatched roof on this once-dilapidated property to be as it should be because the previous owner altered the style and so has changed the character of the building, which is entirely opposite to the views of English Heritage, in case you think that is Jack's view listen to an expert, master thatcher Stephen Craig, whose small firm has re-roofed more than 200 properties in East Anglia, said: 'the roof of the adjoining property is against all properly carried out methods used by thatchers for hundreds of years,' locals complimented Mr Tasker on his painstaking restoration of the once-dilapidated property - built around 1510 and believed to be the oldest 'barn' conversion in the country,

but bring on the jobsworth on Babergh District Council, namely senior enforcement officer Ben Elvin, he insists that the roof is far to high and will have to be pulled down, although I guess it is difficult to see, the new thatch is 4" (10.2 cm.) higher than it should be, strangely enough the roof of the neighbour which a true expert has deemed 'is against all properly carried out methods used by thatchers for hundreds of years', is allowed to stay, Jack commented 'master thatchers with years of experience say that my neighbour’s roof is below par and goes against hundreds of years of tradition - yet I am the one being threatened with court action, the next-door roof has altered the style and so has changed the character of the building which is entirely opposite to the views of English Heritage, the planners have failed to grasp or appreciate that I have not altered the character of the property but preserved it',

but there you have it, you are talking to blinkered jobsworths in their ivory towers that will not listen to common sense, but here is a tip, keep at it long enough and with any luck the thatch on your house will have settled by hopefully 4" then all will be well, jobsworths, don't you just love them!