A PENSIONER locked in a legal battle with a council who evicted him from a compound in the early hours of the morning has been granted a temporary stay of execution to stop them removing his collection of vintage machinery.

John Petch - known has Husky - was at Middlesbrough County Court trying to overturn an injunction issued in 1999 banning him from storing anything in the garden of his home in Dormanstown, near Redcar.

In October, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council used High Court sheriffs to forcibly remove the diminutive pensioner after he barricaded himself into the site and held them at bay for almost a fortnight.

Today, the pensioner was attempting to overturn the 1999 ruling so that he could store his most valuable items at his home, maintaining that it is a breach of his human rights.

The council had already been granted a court order enabling them to start to remove the tonnes of machinery from the secured compound anytime after 4pm today.

However, Mr Petch was granted an extension to protect his belongings until a ruling could be made on whether his human rights were being breached by the 1999 injunction.

The pensioner will appear before a judge at Middlesbrough County Court next month when a ruling will be made that could determine whether he can move his beloved machinery back home.

Speaking after today's adjourned court hearing, Mr Petch said: "At least they can't start removing my things. The council has given me an inventory of everything they say is in the compound but they have completed missed out a 100ft long building, so I don't want them moving anything until I have somewhere I can store the most valuable pieces."

In 1999, Mr Petch was offered the premises by the council after the garden of his home, on The Green nearby, became filled with vintage agricultural machinery and he was banned from keeping it there.

And since the pensioner was evicted the council have installed a security fence around the outbuildings and a security guard is on site to ensure that nobody is able to enter the premises.

Andrea Turner, who has fought alongside Mr Petch from day one, said: "We are determined to ensure that Husky doesn't lose his most important items and hopefully, he will be able to take them home - where they belong."

The hearing is due to be heard in February.