Many thanks for all the responses, suggestions, anecdotes &c. I've been doing some research of my own (including the extraordinary powers that some utilty companies have to appropriate land, including parts of gardens) and find much common ground with the materials posted here. Suffice it to say that I'm seeking a home elsewhere, but will invest in a 100m measuring-tape in order to establish distances for myself. Yes, M theGM, the use of the word "current" was directly intended, though I alternated between it and another word... (rather like "powers" above).