This is the millionaire insurance tycoon who sparked a furious row with dog walkers by fencing off the beach outside his £3.5million Sandbanks home.

Ian Penfold, 59, and his much younger wife Camila sparked fury among pet owners, sea swimmers and water-sports enthusiasts when they erected a new fence at their sprawling beach-front mansion – blocking off access to the sand.

Sandbanks residents claim they have enjoyed unrestricted access to the sandy foreshore on the northern side of the prestigious peninsula in Poole Harbour, Dorset, which has become a favourite spot for a sunset stroll.

But now they have been shut off from the beach after an ‘oppressive’ timber fence was erected at the edge of Mr and Mrs Penfold’s £3.5million property earlier this month.

New signs stating ‘Private Beach’ and ‘Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted’ have also been put up to deter anyone from accessing the foreshore.

A security camera with motion sensors has also gone up on the boundary fence monitoring anyone who passes.

One 75-year-old woman, who has been using the beach for decades, claims she was shouted at by one of the homeowners who told her to ‘get off the beach’ as it is ‘private property’.

Residents living in the exclusive Horseshoe cul-de-sac that leads directly out to the sea, however, claim it’s the homeowners who own the beach and seafront, therefore there is no right of way.

Ian Penfold, 59, a millionaire insurance tycoon sparked a furious row with dog walkers by fencing off the beach outside his £3.5million Sandbanks home

Mr Penfold and his much younger wife Camila sparked fury among pet owners, sea swimmers and water-sports enthusiasts when they erected a new fence

Sandbanks residents have been shut off from the beach after an ‘oppressive’ timber fence was erected at the edge of Mr and Mrs Penfold’s property

And a council sign on the roadside reads that the path, formally known as ‘Footpath 82’ leads ‘to the shoreline’ but not along the beach.

Mr and Mrs Penfold declined to comment about their decision to erect a new fence and enhanced security measures blocking access to the beach, when approached for comment.

Mrs Penfold said simply: ‘We don’t even want to talk about it.’

But one of their well-to-do neighbours explained: ‘This is a private beach. The owners of each of the properties have bought the beach and the foreshore, that is the land exposed when the tide goes out, so there is no right of way.

‘We bought, like all the other owners, own the land, the beach and part of the sea directly behind our homes.

‘We do get people walking their dogs at low tide past our houses, but they don’t have a right to be there. This is private land.’

However other neighbours accused Mr and Mrs Penfold of going too far – by erecting a new fence and putting up aggressive signs.

One told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s all seems a bit silly to me. We had all this out with the council about two years ago.

New signs stating ‘Private Beach’ and ‘Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted’ have also been put up to deter anyone from accessing the foreshore

The fence is circled. Residents have now instructed lawyers to take legal action following the row

‘Private’ beach signs are pictured. One reads: ’24h CCTV in operation. Stay within 1.8m footpath. Trespassers will be prosecuted’

‘They ruled that there was no right of way on the beach and that the footpath, Footpath 82, only led down to the beach, not along the beach past our houses.

‘It’s a petty little squabble, if you ask me.’

Another neighbour added: ‘I have lived here for a long time but I still find access to the beach a very complicated matter.

‘I have different views from other people who have only recently moved into the area. That is all I want to say.’

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council did not want to issue a statement about the matter, claiming that it was a ‘private dispute between residents and the landowner’.

However, a council official confirmed that the sand in dispute is in fact a private beach.

John Challinor, a local Conservative councillor, said: ‘I understand people wanting to retain the access they have had for years.

‘It seems the fence is trying to establish a line and it does give the impression it is restricted access.

‘But I can also understand that people have spent a lot of money on their properties and they aren’t going to want to have members of the public wandering into their gardens.’

Insurance broker Mr Penfold has made his fortune with his firm A-One Insurance, which he started from scratch in 1993 and now has an annual turnover of more than £20million and a staff of 95.

The couple married at a lavish wedding ceremony held at Lulworth Castle in December 2021.

They previously lived in Wimborne, Dorset, before buying a beach-front home in Sandbanks for £3.5million in May last year.

The sandy foreshore is a favourite spot for dog walkers, sea swimmers and paddlers and for those taking in a sunset stroll

A council sign on the roadside reads that the path, formally known as ‘Footpath 82’ leads ‘to the shoreline’ but not along the beach

On Monday, when the Daily Mail visited the area, three luxury cars sat on the narrow driveway and an immaculately white Persian cat sat in the wooden doorway to the house

Their arrival, however, was not without incident as they managed to upset not only dog walkers and ramblers in the area, but their own neighbours.

Their plans to demolish the stylish waterside property and replace it with an ‘ugly square box’ caused uproar amongst locals.

The proposals include building five bedrooms, as well as a basement housing a gym, sauna, home cinemas, golf simulator and outdoor swimming pool, which their critics described as ‘planning creep by stealth’.

On Monday, when the Daily Mail visited the area, three luxury cars sat on the narrow driveway and an immaculately white Persian cat sat in the wooden doorway to the house.