Furious mum puts up banner at new McDonald's after builders 'destroy' her fence

An enraged has taken a stand with a defiant banner proclaiming her disgust at a new - accusing the fast-food giants builders of wreaking havoc on her .

Rachel Laidler, 55, claims the contractors severely compromised her boundary wall by excavating a 4.5m (15ft) pit for a 'water treatment tank' perilously close to it. Her , including her husband Peter, 70, maintained a cordial rapport with the developers until they carved out an enormous trench, which lies a troubling 1.9m (6ft) from their slumber space in Ilkley, West Yorks.

Rachel, alongside her octogenarian father Cyril Taylor, aged 91, hit boiling point over how she perceives McDonald's and local officials have overlooked their grievances during the undertaking. However, a voice from the American franchise responded claiming that all actions were above board and promised to mend the damage inflicted on the fence.

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Yet, unmoved, Rachel unfurled her conspicuous message coinciding with the eaterys grand opening day that read: "We're not loving it - see the unrepaired damage they left behind their fence".

Now, shes troubled by the Labour administration's proposed relaxing of planning regulations and introduction of compulsory housing quotas, fearing this could spark widespread similar feuds. The mother of four aired her concern: "People all over the country are having these issues."

She valiantly added: "Everybody says you shouldn't take on McDonald's but it's just wrong what they are doing." In a drawl of disenchantment, she bemoaned: "They just don't care and yet they pretend to care. So that's a conflict in their marketing."

Back home, the issue resonates deeply, as she revealed: "I've got my 91-year-old dad living with us and he just can't believe that anybody could be such a bad neighbour. I'm just angry and I just can't bear injustice. I'll stand up for the people in the next development as well now that I see the bigger picture."

While her hubby Peter grappled with 'brutal' throat cancer treatment, Rachel, who runs a soft furnishings business, had high hopes when she saw work kick off to convert an old Kashmiri restaurant into a shiny new McDonald's since the place had seen better days.

Rachel shared: "Relationships were fine. My husband went around and helped them with one or two bits and pieces as he started to feel a bit better. And we weren't looking over the fence the whole time because we've got our own lives to get on with. Then they came around and said, 'We're going to be digging a hole really quite close to your fence... It might be good if the don't go round there.'".

Then came the shocker for Rachel a crater was excavated precariously near her five-bedroom dwelling that made her solid concrete wall tremble and crack. She recounted further: "And then we couldn't believe it it was literally the other side, and this hole just got deeper and deeper. It's 1.9m from our bedroom wall and it's over 4.5m deep."

Regrettably, Rachel disclosed that the incident sparked a rift between her family and the builders. Rachel has been tirelessly emailing Bradford Council about a water treatment tank that's currently undergoing a retrospective planning application, but feels the council has "washed their hands" of the issue. She expressed her frustration: "There was nobody to talk to us, environmental health never came out, nobody even acknowledged our emails, many of which were sent."

She also received a dismissive response from the council, stating: "The only email we ever got back was, 'It's been signed off, it's nothing to do with us any more.'" Rachel is now concerned that such problems could escalate if Labour follows through on their manifesto promise to reform the planning system, warning: "Labour is planning to ease up planning restrictions, so it's something that might become more of a problem."

Despite years of paying council tax, she feels ignored: "We've paid our council tax year in, year out for decades, and we are not being listened to or represented in any way." She questions whether this is a widespread issue: "I wonder if it's going on all over the country."

A McDonald's spokesperson addressed the situation, saying: "As part of building our new McDonald's Restaurant in Ilkley, we installed a water treatment tank, following a review of the local drainage infrastructure. Once on site, it became clear that the water treatment tank could not be placed in the exact spot originally planned. However, the main outlet pipe where the treated water leaves the site remains in the same location."

Relevant experts have confirmed the relocated tank poses no issues to neighbours or the surrounding area, as a company spokesman explained: "Relevant experts have assured us that the relocated tank does not impact neighbours or the surrounding area in any way, and we are working with the planning authority to make sure they are satisfied the correct procedures have been followed, and will follow any further steps they ask us to take."

They added: "We have made a commitment to repair the damaged fence and this week we contacted the neighbour to discuss next steps."

Bradford Council's representative also weighed in, noting: "The Council is aware of this issue and is in discussions with the owners' representatives. We have been advised that a retrospective Planning Application is being prepared and once received the Council will fully consider it, which will include the usual publicity to give residents a chance to make their comments."