A dog lover could face jail for walking too slowly.

Farmer Linda Jefferies, 61, rears rare breed sheep in Essex and is also the devoted owner of a Hungarian Komonder and a Bouvier de Flandres, called "Vampire". She has for years been embroiled in a "needle match" over a right of way running to one of her fields across the land of her neighbour, smallholder, Pauline Robb, 54. The animosity between them, which a court heard means they "cannot live with each other", erupted last year when the women sued one another. That resulted in Mrs Jefferies being handed an injunction under the Protection from Harrassment Act after a judge found she had been using the path for "snooping" on Mrs Robb and her husband. The order stipulates that Mrs Jefferies must "move along at a reasonable speed" when using the disputed path - or face a maximum penalty of a £5,000 fine or six months' imprisonment.