ONE of Britain's richest men has infuriated his neighbours with plans to build a massive "prison fence" around his Harry Potter castle.
The Duke of Northumberland says the two-metre-high barbed-wire barrier will protect Alnwick Castle from fly-tipping and "anti-social behaviour".
Ralph Percy, 66, lives with wife Jane, the Duchess of Northumberland, 64, in the 11th-century pile, used for two of the wizardry blockbusters and Downton Abbey.
The loaded couple – worth about £315 million – also want to stop brazen visitors who avoid paying a £19.50 adult entrance fee by hopping a wall.
The well-heeled pair now have planning permission to replace the old stone perimeter with a vast green fence which they say will "enhance" the castle.
But the proposed boundary has sparked fury among locals in Alnwick, Northumberland, who say the spikey measures look more like a juvey.
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While others have joked the family have turned their home into 'HMP Hogwarts'.
Lodging an objection with the county council, resident George Skipper blasted: "At best this will look like a theme park, at worst a young offenders' institution."
Meanwhile Andrew Duff, who lives yards from the castle, added: "The mesh fencing has an industrial appearance more suited to a business park or school site."
He went on to allege the fence "creates an unfriendly and negative impression for such an important location".
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And local business owner Samantha Hobrough accused the toffs – who are pals with The King – for trashing the "heritage context of the castle and environs".
Resident Maria Youngs, 40, added: "I respect the fact that the duke needs to protect his home from fly-tippers and ticket dodgers.
"Surely there is a better design than this ugly fencing which looks more like the kind you see surrounding prisons to keep the inmates from escaping."
Writing on a local Facebook page, one user added: "Looks like they're getting ready to film the next Harry Potter movie: HMP Hogwarts!"
Another wrote: "Fly-tippers and free loaders Expelliarmus!"
Josh Daniels, of Northumberland Estates, said the barbed wire fencing aimed to deter trespassers.
Are YOU affected by this fence? Get in touch: [email protected]
He said that geographical features at the Greenwell Road car park where visitors leave their vehicles, meant fly-tippers could easily dump rubbish undetected.
In the report, he added: "We believe the landscape will be enhanced through the replacement and repositioning of the existing fencing to prevent fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour at the Alnwick Castle."
The estate hopes the fence will be up before the busy summer period.
A spokesperson for Northumberland Estates added: "It is our concern that these incidents develop into something more adverse, resulting in damage to property or an injury to the perpetrators, staff or visitors.
"We applied and have been granted permission for a new fence covering a small area at the southern boundary of the castle, next to the Greenwell Road car park.
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"This is designed to prevent regular occurrences of individuals accessing the area to illegally fly-tip waste and great care will be taken to ensure it is in fitting with the surroundings and secures the area.
"Although there were three objections, we are pleased that the council recognised that it was an appropriate application."
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