"WE'RE no longer prisoners in our own homes" is the cry of relief from residents at the Silent Woman Park near Bere Regis.

Civic chiefs have decided that fireproofing the park homes will be enough to meet safety regulations - not a six-metre safety gap between each home.

Residents feared being trapped in unsaleable properties if they'd been required to remove extensions breaching the six-ft gap as a condition of being able to sell up and move.

Park resident Sonia McColl said: "We've all felt like prisoners for an extremely long time - this means we have gained our freedom."

Before councillors at Purbeck District Council made their decision, Mrs McColl told them: "The six-metre safety gap is a guideline option issued by the government that is not mandatory.

"It is questionable whether this condition would even apply to parks that have all added the 30-minute fire resistant coating."

She questioned whether the proposed condition would bring about six-ft gaps as residents would be unable to sell if they were required to spend thousands of pounds on removing extensions.

She said: "It would mean they will stay, coat their homes with fire resistant material and enjoy their porch extensions for the rest of their natural lives, which could range from 20 to 50 years."

Fourteen residents signed a petition calling for councillors to stick with the advice of Dorset Fire and Rescue experts who stated that fireproofing would be sufficient to comply with health and safety regulations.

First published: August 26