WELWYN Hatfield Council has today won a landmark legal case, after taking a resident to the highest court in the country.

Seven Supreme Court judges sided with the council in not granting a certificate of lawfulness to Alan Beesley.

Mr Beesley had built a luxury �500,000 home for his family on Green Belt land off Coopers Lane Road, Northaw, but disguised it as a haybarn.

Today (Wednesday) the Welwyn Hatfield Times was in court to hear the ruling.

Lord Mace said: “It could not have been Paliament’s intention that a person could benefit from his own wrong.”

The council were delighted with the outcome. A spokeswoman said they would now consider what appropriate enforcement action to take.

Read full reaction in next Wednesday’s Welwyn Hatfield Times.