Couple who run scrap metal firm sue neighbour for defamation over Facebook post following a row at village bonfire night

By CLAIRE DUFFIN, SENIOR REPORTER and TRACEY KANDOHLA, REPORTER Published: 14:07, 22 April 2026 | Updated: 14:11, 22 April 2026 TWO parish councillors are suing their neighbour in the High Court for defamation over a Facebook post following a row at a village bonfire night. Mark and Melissa Drabble are seeking £75,000 plus interest and costs for defamation and harassment after Christopher Bramhall wrote a post online accusing Mr Drabble of being 'on drugs' and carrying a knife.  The Drabbles, who live a short walk from Mr Bramhall’s home in the High Peak village of Dove Holes and are both parish councillors say said the false claims had caused serious harm to their reputations due to their 'status within a small community'.  The particulars of the claim state the 'tanigble consequences' included 'business denigration, withdrawal of publicity, social hostility and anxiety'.  The couple, both 44,  run a reclamation and salvage business and share footage of their best 'treasure hunt’ finds on social media.  They have both made TV appearances - Mrs Drabble, who calls herself the 'Reclaim Queen' has featured on BBC1's The Bidding Room while her husband has appeared on the Discovery show Scrap Kings.  The row with their neighbour dates back to November 2024 when Mr Drabble was attacked by Christopher Bramhall's brother Nathanial after two rival fun fair firms reportedly turned up for the same event, the annual Dove Holes Bonfire Night at the village hall. Mark and Melissa Drabble (pictured) both 44 and both Parish councillors, say the post by Christopher Bramhall on Facebook has caused 'serious harm to their reputation.’ Amusements company boss Christopher Bramhall who is being sued for defamation at court According to police, a dispute about the placement of a ride took place between Nathaniel Bramhall and Mr Drabble, one of the organisers of the event. After refusing to move the ride an argument ensued and Nathaniel Bramhall punched and kicked Mr Drabble several times when he was on the ground. Earlier this month Nathanial Bramhall, 33, was jailed for three years at Derby Crown Court after admitting grievous bodily harm. Now the Drabbles are accusing Christopher Bramhall for defamation and harassment relating to the post written in November 2024 on the Dove Holes Community Association Facebook page. In the post on the group page - which has 3,800 members - he accused Mr Drabble of being 'high on drugs' when driving and ‘had a knife on his person which police later seized.’ He also claims he was physically assaulted by Mr Drabble. Nathaniel Bramhall who was jailed for three years for GBH earlier this month following the row Mrs Drabble, who calls herself the 'Reclaim Queen' on social media, has featured on BBC1's The Bidding Room while her husband has appeared on the Discovery show Scrap Kings According to a High Court writ the post had 141 'reactions'. In it, Christopher Bramhall said he was providing ' a little bit of information for all the narrow-minded followers that think tin man was hard done to on Monday'. He wrote: 'Firstly.. the way the local councillor and her husband spoke was absolutely horrendous. 'The words coming from their mouths and their tone was not what we should expect from a councillor and event organiser and inevitably wouldn't be tolerated.' He said he had 'written confirmation' they were able to attend the event with the same equipment as last year and that his family had been providing rides to Dove Hole bonfire for 40 years. He went on to say: 'Not only was he high on drugs (driving a car round our community centre) but also had a knife on his possession when the police arrived which was seized and put in an evidence bag. 'Remember, there are two sides to a story...' The Drabbles declined to discuss their defamation action when approached outside their end of terraced home with pink door and back yard full of collectors’ items this week. Mrs Drabble said she planned to speak out after their hearing, expected next month, saying: ‘We want to raise awareness of people who post false information online, and the consequences of those words. ‘But we don't want to say any more now as we don’t want to jeopardise our case.' The claimants are seeking damages not exceeding £75,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Mr Bramhall, 34, also declined to comment only to say he knew the couple ‘lived in the village’ but were not friends. ’There’s a lot more to it but we just can't go into it,' he added. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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