A woman jailed for disobeying court orders to remove a fence on her neighbour's land, has failed to get released on bail pending the hearing of her appeal in a week's time.

On Thursday three Court of Appeal judges in London said there were no grounds for taking the "exceptional course" of granting bail.

Horse breeder Samantha Richards, 26, was jailed for three months at Birmingham County Court on 1 August for her contempt of repeated court orders to move the fence near her home, Tranquillity Cottage, Hopesay, Shropshire.

The case came to court following a four-year dispute with her neighbour, Tony Benson, over a three foot strip of land.

'Greek tragedy'

Judge Caroline Alton, who described the affair as "a tragedy of Greek proportions", said she had no option but to send Richards to prison.

Richards was in court on Thursday to hear her lawyers argue that she should be bailed because she was having great difficulty instructing her solicitor from prison in preparation for her appeal next Thursday.

She wanted to accompany her lawyer to the scene of the dispute.

The court was told Richards was a woman of good character who would not abscond and a friend was willing to put up a £1,000 surety.