It has divided opinion over the past week, but regardless of whether you think it's a good or bad thing, there can be no denying the impact Lattimore Road's unauthorised fence has had across social media.

Residents of the city centre street have been left bemused by recent developments in the saga, which began last Thursday when two wooden fences were installed at number 32, ruining the Victorian terrace by boxing in the property.

The house is in St Albans' protected Conservation Area, where any developments must "preserve and enhance the character of the area".

The district council's guidelines state: "New development in the conservation area is expected to be to a high standard of design to ensure that the character and appearance of the Conservation Area is preserved or enhanced."

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The district council's planning enforcement team has launched an investigation into the work to determine whether it breached these guidelines.

But today the fences were both substantially lowered, with the panels replaced by different wood, possibly in a bid to appease planners.

"Now I know how it must have felt when the Berlin Wall came down," joked one neighbour.

The landlord of the property, Paul Mair, who also owns number 24 in the street, declined to comment when approached by the Herts Ad. Last year he sold 53 The Park, a seven-bedroom detached property, for £4.7 million.