A Wimbledon pensioner has triumphed in his legal battle against a property company run by a premiership footballer and his brother.

David Hill, 69, took Finnan Developments - which is directed by Liverpool player Steve Finnan and his brother, Sean - to court in a bid to put a stop to their plans to build a house in the garden of his Thornton Hill home, of which the Finnans have owned the freehold since 2004.

The dispute involved the terms of Mr Hill's lease of his flat, which is one of three homes in the main building, and centred on whether the developers' plans constituted a "substantial interference" to Mr Hill's easement to use the garden.

Last Friday a judge at Kingston County Court found in favour of Mr Hill.

The judgement comes as a huge relief to the retired Roehampton University lecturer, who chose his home 10 years ago partly because of its large back garden.

The court heard that he found it unique, and could imagine playing with his grandchildren there in the future.

According to his lawyers, the new development would have cut this space down by more than a third.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Hill said: "This case has been extremely stressful, especially given the sums of money involved and the costs. The garden has become very overgrown, but hopefully I can now continue to enjoy it as I did before."

David Corbett, project manager at Finnan Developments, said: "Unfortunately, the decision went against us. However, we remain on course to refurbish two flats in the main block and will do so to a very high standard. As a rapidly growing niche property development company, we will also continue to look for other exciting development opportunities locally, nationally and overseas."

Decisions about costs and the wording of any undertaking or injunction will be made at a later date.