A chain link fence that has been erected through the middle of a parking lot in Bolton has spurred frustration and humour from residents.

The fence has been put up between two strip malls located on Queen Street, causing problems for some businesses owners, including Kim Campbell.

“They bring in my business,” says Campbell, owner of consignment store Had2Hav. “I have to load and unload furniture and items into my store.”

The two malls have shared the parking lot since 1977. The new owner of the north end mall erected the fence – he was unsuccessful in purchasing the other property last year.

“I use to walk through here, through there. Now I got to go all the way around,” one man said.

The local fire department says the fence is on the property line and poses an issue for emergency crews.

“It makes it illegal as far as obstructions for the fire route and access to the building,” says Mark Wallace, Caledon’s deputy fire chief. “It does not necessarily mean remove the whole fence. We only want the obstructions to the fire access removed.”

The property owner has appealed the local fire department’s call to have sections of the fence opened. The fire department now has until Jan. 28 to submit its report to the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office, who will decide whether the fence stays or comes down.

The erection of the fence has also spurred a satire Twitter account called “The Bolton Fence”. The bio for the account says, “A simple chain link fence. I love to stop things traveling from one side of me to the other and I enjoy watching winter sunsets with my security guard.”

CTV Barrie reached out to the owner who built the fence, but so far our calls have gone unreturned.