Gnome Man’s Land: Dobson v Unsted
In this Newsflash episode, Lizzie and Richard explore Dobson & Anor v Unsted & Anor [2026] a case from the Upper Tribunal that has been making headlines. At the centre of the dispute is eight feet of lawn and a garden gnome that helped spark a neighbourly conflict.
The case turns on the doctrine of adverse possession, which allows someone to claim ownership of land if they have possessed and treated it as their own for a set period of time.
Richard analyses how much use is enough, does mowing and maintaining a strip of grass amount to possession and what is the significance of planting clover?
Join us as we unpack the facts, the law, and what this surprisingly dramatic dispute over a small patch of grass tells us about adverse possession, particularly when it comes to unregistered land.
Other cases mentioned:
Thorpe v Frank & Anor [2019]
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