The case of Richard Wallace : the right to be harmlessly eccentric in England was upheld at Guildford Crown Court. Mr Wallace lives in Wescott near Dorking - a part of the stockbroker belt of Surrey.
Section 215 (s.215) of the Town and Country Planning Act.
From the Daily Telegraph 3 March 2010
More links below
an amusing video on Sky News including an interview with Mr Wallace - obviously he is a very intelligent man.
the Daily Telegraph on-line article
and an interesting local newspaper article : some of the arguments used by Mr Wallace in this link are particularly logical. Granted his garden has rats (so does mine, I live by a river and it is unavoidable) but as a fraction of ALL rats in the area, those is his garden are insignificant. So why all the fuss? Just because he is different people see him as a threat.
Although I have to agree - Mr Wallace is maybe a little too different! If I lived in the area I would probably have supported the local council action. However, Councils regularly misuse Section 215 legislation and if they cannot use it responsibly, it should be repealed, or used only after Ministerial authority has been granted.