The villages at WAR: Feud between warring parish councillors is branded ... trends now

It's website proudly states: 'We are three communities, one parish.'

But Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby Parish Council (incorporating the smaller community of California) is far from united.

A bitter feud between councillors from the two main villages of Ormesby and Scratby has led to years of rancour, with alleged threats of violence and bullying, a police investigation, and two annual village fetes being held because a joint venue couldn't be agreed.

Even the dead have been unable to rest, with angry recriminations over a body buried in the wrong plot, leading to an exhumation.

Things have become so bad that some Scratby members wanted to declare independence from Ormesby in what was dubbed 'Norfolk's Brexit'.

The bad blood has seen half a dozen resignations among councillors and clerks. Local elections to fill the spaces have been cancelled next month because no one was willing to join the dysfunctional council.

Some locals blame the acrimony on a long-running rivalry between the largely settled residents of leafy Ormesby, with its two village greens and a medieval church, and more salt of the earth Scratby a mile away, which is home to hundreds of holiday chalets and caravans and attracts newcomers from London and Essex.

Others say it is down to 'narcissistic' personalities competing for attention – and resources for their respective communities.

Neutrals complain it struggles to properly serve any of the communities because of the schism – an allegation denied by the remaining members.

But Ormesby resident Christine Lee, who quit as parish council chairman three years ago, said: 'The behaviour was absolutely appalling. It was affecting my whole life.

'I made attempts time and time again to tell councillors they could not behave like this but I realised it was completely futile to try and make them change.'

Whatever the truth behind the fallout, it is having to manage with just nine of the full complement of 15 councillors because locals don't want to get caught up in the furore by representing their community.

Matters came to a head in October 2021 when, following what council minutes recorded as 'continued animosity', some Scratby councillors called for a formal split from the troubled union with Ormesby.

Scratby councillor Peter Holley - who is said to have complained of discrimination and victimisation over who was being appointed to certain duties – allegedly 'threatened to kill' fellow councillor David Troy.

Ironically, Mr Troy was a fellow Scratby councillor who opposed the plan to secede from Ormesby.

The then clerk, Philip Stone, asked police to attend the next meeting, although their presence wasn't needed in the end after they pre-empted the occasion by speaking to the parties involved.

An Ormesby resident, who was at the meeting where tempers boiled over, said: 'David was threatened by Peter Holley, who basically threatened to come over and kill him.

'These rogue councillors can run amok because there's nobody to keep them in check. Complaints go to an auditing officer but it's very hard to get rid of a rogue councillor. They're narcissistic bullies.

'Peter Holley was not happy that, at the time, there were more Ormesby councillors. To be fair, there were one or two more councillors representing Ormesby but it's bigger than Scratby.

'Philip Stone was the clerk and he called the police. The police spoke to David Troy but he didn't want to continue because he felt he didn't get support from the council itself.'

The resident, who asked not to be identified, added: 'David went against what Peter and the others wanted and, in their eyes, he was a traitor.

'At that particular meeting, he looked Peter in the eyes and Peter took it as a challenge. He basically put his hands up as if to say 'Come on then' and he said something like 'If you carry on like that, I'm going to come over and kill you'.

'The effect on David has been horrendous. The council had been his life.'