A Russian Orthodox priest is locked in a bitter dispute with his neighbour over a narrow strip of land between their two homes – in an unholy row that has spiralled into accusations of intimidation, police involvement and an arrest.

Father Anatoli Vihrov is embroiled in an extraordinary feud with tax accountant Shamaem Burrows over who owns a wedge of land between their two homes in Guiseley, West Yorkshire.

The long-running dispute led to Ms Burrows being arrested and charged with damaging a garden bush – while both households have installed CCTV cameras trained on each other’s properties.

One of Ms Burrows’ cameras captured Father Vihrov appearing to sanctify the contested boundary fence with holy water on her driveway, while dressed in his religious robes.

At the heart of the bitter feud is a strip of land, around just a metre wide, which Ms Burrows claims the priest and his wife unlawfully took over while renovating their garden.

Ms Burrows installed a yellow guide wire between the two homes to show what she believes to be the correct boundary.

The priest and his wife Elena, an NHS dentist, however, fiercely deny any land grab and claim the yellow guide wire put up by their neighbour is in the wrong place.

They insist a professional boundary survey proves that the vast majority of the strip rightfully belongs to them – and that Ms Burrows’ claims to the land’s ownership are false.

Both sides have reported each other to West Yorkshire Police and have instructed solicitors in a row that appears to have left no love lost.

CCTV footage shows Father Vihrov shaking the wooden fence between their homes, and holding a saw up to a camera; while further recordings appear to show the pair wrangling over the contested territory.

Ms Burrows told the Daily Mail: ‘He thinks he has got the right to just come into my garden and do whatever he wants.

‘He’s been shaking the fence. He’s coming around here in full robes throwing holy water on my driveway.

‘Because he is a priest, it’s like he is acting as if he is above me.

‘When the police go round to speak to him, guess what he does? He puts his gown straight on.

‘I’m here on my own with a young child, and I feel like I’m being harassed in my own home.’

In response, Mrs Vihrov insisted her husband blessed the boundary not to intimidate Ms Burrows – but in the hope of restoring peace.

‘We are Orthodox Christians, and we are proud of our faith. It is part of our beliefs,’ she said.

‘Yes, it was holy water. What is wrong with holy water? My husband was blessing that area for peace, to calm everything down and to leave everything in peace.’

The acrimony can be traced back to 2022, when the Vihrovs bought their detached 1960s property for £470,000.

Ms Burrows, who purchased her three-bed semi for £260,000 two years earlier in March 2020, claims the couple encroached on her land while carrying out extensive landscaping to their garden.

She alleges builders excavated a strip of ground beside her driveway and garage – leaving it without supporting foundations – before laying a new patio over land she insists belongs to her.

She claims to have 1974 title deeds that show the land is hers.

However, the Vihrovs insist those Land Registry deeds are simply illustrative and say a professional boundary survey that they paid thousands for proves the strip belongs to them.

The tense dispute reached boiling point in March this year when Ms Burrows was arrested on allegations of assault and harassment.

She was ‘thrown in a prison cell’ before being charged with criminal damage for allegedly damaging a bush belonging to the Vihrov.

When formally charged at Elland Road police station, documents show she responded by saying: ‘Damaged a bush? It’s on my land.’

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