A row has erupted over the use of a cottage where two brothers were staying while visiting their dying mother.

Jeremy Arnold, who has a 999-year lease on a property at Peninsula Cottages in Staithway Road, Wroxham, said he felt like he was being harassed by the freeholder of the site, after allowing guests to stay at his cottage.

Mr Arnold, who lives in Derbyshire, said freeholder Andy Beardshaw had taken action against him for “allowing this gentleman to use my house”.

He added: “He also claims that I have breached the terms of the property lease by allowing this gentleman to use it without his permission.”

Mr Beardshaw said he called the police around May 23 when he learned the cottage was being used - but before he knew the details of the situation with their mother - because the site was in lockdown, and over health concerns.

He said Mr Arnold had not let him know why the brothers were staying there.

Mr Beardshaw said: “The cottages are for holiday use only because that is what the planning consent of the site is for. When I found out they were self-isolating because their mother was in hospital I immediately stepped back and let it carry on.

“If he had told me from day one why they were staying there I wouldn’t have been against it.”

Mr Beardshaw said he had needed to reinstate the bin service to the entire site because of the guests.

One of the brothers, who did not wish to be named, said they were staying at the cottage to visit their terminally-ill mother, who had since died.

The mother had also tested positive for Covid-19, so they felt they needed to stay away from the rest of their families if they were seeing her.

He said: “Jeremy understood the situation and only charged us a nominal fee to be there. He really helped us out.”

He said police had paid them a visit at the cottage, but after he explained why they were there, the officers left.

Mr Beardshaw said services to the cottage could be disconnected if Mr Arnold failed to sanitise it after the brothers - who are still there self isolating after their mother’s death - moved out.

Mr Arnold said he would have the property sanitised.