BBC The Bidding Room star wins £75,000 defamation fight against neighbour who is forced to make grovelling apology after village Bonfire Night row

Two parish councillors have won 'substantial' damages after suing their neighbour in the High Court for defamation over a Facebook post. TV stars Melissa Drabble, also known as the 'Reclaim Queen' and husband Mark, sought £75,000 plus interest and costs for defamation and harassment from amusement firm boss Christopher Bramhall.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' following a row at their village bonfire night. Mr Bramhall has now been forced to issue a grovelling apology and pay damages. In his apology he claimed that on the night of the Bonfire, he thought he had heard police referring to a 'steak knife' over their radio when in fact officers had used the code 'state nine' which means a prisoner escort is needed. The Drabbles, who are both parish councillors, said the false claims caused serious harm to their reputations due to their 'status within a small community'.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 has 120,000 followers on TikTok, has featured on BBC1's The Bidding Room while her husband, known as 'Tin Man', has appeared on the Discovery show Scrap Kings.They live a short walk from Mr Bramhall's home in the picturesque High Peak village of Dove Holes. Mrs Drabble said the false claims caused serious harm to her and her husband's reputations due to their 'status within a small community'Melissa Drabble, also known as the 'Reclaim Queen' has featured on BBC1's The Bidding Room. She is pictured here outside the Royal Courts of Justice Mark and Melissa Drabble (pictured) both 44 and both Parish councillors say the post by Christopher Bramhall on Facebook caused 'serious harm to their reputation' Amusements company boss Christopher Bramhall was sued for defamation at courtThe particulars of the claim stated the 'tangible consequences' of the Facebook post included 'business denigration, withdrawal of publicity, social hostility and anxiety'.In June the High Court found that Mr Bramhall's post on Dove Holes Residents Facebook was defamatory with Mrs Justice Hill ruling that it included 'allegations of a serious criminal conduct; which prompted his out-of-court of settlement of an undisclosed sum. Mrs Drabble declined to reveal the amount of damages received, telling the Daily Mail this week: 'Following the settlement, we are not able to discuss it.' But a source close to the couple said they had won a 'substantial' amount.The row with their neighbour dates back to November 2024 when Mr Drabble was attacked by Mr Bramhall's brother Nathaniel after two rival fun fair firms reportedly turned up for the same event, the annual Dove Holes Bonfire Night at the community centre. 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.Nathaniel Bramhall, 33, was jailed for three years at Derby Crown Court after admitting grievous bodily harm earlier this year. Following the fight Christopher Bramhall, who owns a popular family business providing bouncy castle and inflatables for hire, posted on the community page.To the group - 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.'According to a High Court writ the post had 141 'reactions'. Amusement firm boss Christopher Bramhall's apology on social media Nathaniel Bramhall who was jailed for three years for GBH earlier this year following the rowNow Mr Bramhall has issued a public apology on Facebook. In it he said he posted on the Dove Holes Community Group after hearing 'rumours circulating regarding an incident at the community centre'. He wrote: 'I now have to clarify three of the statements within the post in which I spoke about the 'Tin Man' and the local councillor.''I acknowledge there was no official police report to evidence that the 'Tin Man' was on drugs.'He continued: 'Also I misinterpreted the phrase used by the police 'we have one state nine (which I now know to mean 'we have a subject in custody.')'I misinterpreted this as the police saying about the 'Tin Man' that 'we have one steak knife.''I now acknowledge that he did not have a knife in his possession.'He added: 'I also acknowledge that I should not have expressed my view on a social media platform regarding the local councillor and the incident that took place.'Mr Bramhall confirmed in his post: 'The parties have settled this matter out-of-court and all agree that they will make no further public statements concerning the events on 4 November 2024.'His original post, sparking the Drabbles to sue, stated: '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.'Speaking before the settlement Mrs Drabble told the Daily Mail: 'We want to raise awareness of people who post false information online, and the consequences of those words.'She told how her tormentor had also mocked her and her husband by displaying a metal-made effigy of them in his front garden on a busy road.The Drabbles own Derbyshire Reclamation & Salvage based on an industrial estate in Buxton. They are both members of Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish Council.Mr Bramhall's company Bramhall's Amusements is described as a 'family run business supplying the High Peak and surrounding areas with bouncy castles, inflatables and outside catering facilities.' He did not respond to request for comment.