Farmer in battle with council as she 'deliberately hid' second home where she looked after her sheep

Farmer in battle with council as she 'deliberately hid' second home where she looked after her sheep Sheep farmer Helen Lowe was accused by Derbyshire Dales District Council of having "deliberately hid" a secret home she built in her barn, and was ordered to leave after moving in during the pandemic A farmer faces up to two years behind bars after she built a second home inside a barn on her 40-acre farm to look after her sheep "while they were lambing". Helen Lowe, 59, was found guilty of contempt of court after she failed to comply with legal orders to leave makeshift accommodation she put together at her farm in Darley Dale, Derbyshire. She had been living in a unit attached to a barn housing her sheep since 2020, Derbyshire Dales District Council said, which she was accused of having "deliberately hid" to "avoid detection". The council said the farmer's accommodation was built without planning permission, and she now faces up to two years of prison time after she was found guilty of flouting a court order. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Lowe accused the council of carrying out a "witch hunt" after she was found guilty of contempt of court for failing to heed an order demanding she cease living at the property. She now faces up to two years in jail, an unlimited fine, or a combination of the two punishments. The farmer has argued that she was only living in the property - for which she claims to have paid council tax - to oversee her sheep, stating it was not luxury accommodation. She told the publication: "It's a temporary building to look after my sheep when they're lambing. It's not Windsor Castle. It's just got facilities in it, a bed, windows. The council says it was concealed - but it wasn't concealed at all. You could clearly see it. All my friends knew I was here looking after the sheep. "It wasn't like I was living the high life. And the council knew I was here because I was paying council tax - even though I don't get a bin." Controversy over the home began during the Covid pandemic in 2020, when the council served a notice ruling that it had been constructed at an agricultural barn without planning permission. Ms Lowe, who had moved into the accommodation after selling her nearby bungalow, appealed the notice, but the case was dismissed in February 2022 by the Planning Inspectorate. The independent agency ordered her to stop using the building as a home, but she failed to do so, and in 2024 the council secured a court order requiring her to stop living in the barn. Officials said she failed to heed the order, and occupied the building while failing to carry out required demolition works, and the authority launched contempt proceedings in July 2025. Miss Lowe was ultimately found guilty of contempt on May 18 following a trial at Nottingham County Court. The council was awarded £10,000 in costs, which Ms Lowe has described as a "complete waste" of cashpayer money, claiming she was seen as an "easy target" by officials. She said: "It was only built because I needed facilities here, and then during Covid I ended up staying longer. "My priorities have been my animals, and that is what has got me into trouble. They've got to have spent hundreds of thousands, wasting money. It's ridiculous." Derbyshire Dales Council has argued the court ruling "shows the serious consequences of ignoring planning rules and failing to get the correct permission before carrying out development". A spokesperson said: "The planning system only works when everyone follows the same rules. It is not acceptable for a few people to disregard the process while most comply."