British and Irish expats have described being driven out of Portugal after locals allegedly killed their pets and hounded them with violent threats.
Lynn and Richard Appleby-Brisco moved abroad in 2016 in the hope of starting a more 'affordable' life with their two young daughters in Portugal's Guarda district and featured in Channel 4's Our Wildest Dreams.
But the experience soon became a nightmare after a group of Portuguese villagers launched a campaign of hate against them that saw their dog Cu - an estrela mountain cross retriever - die after being attacked.
Another expat with a horrifying story to tell is Orla Dargan, a 65-year-old former City of London investment banker who retired to the Algarve but was forced into hiding after an 'aggressive' neighbour took over her land and drove her out of her home.
The mother-of-two, who is originally from Dublin, lived happily in the €600,000 villa for several years before her neighbour, an estate agent she describes as a 'dangerous' man, moved in next door.
She went on to face years of threatening behaviour, including an alleged attempt to drive her off the road near her home, before the body of her beloved rescue dog was found floating in a shallow well with horrifying injuries.
The Appleby-Briscos, who are from Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, said their other animals were also targeted by angry neighbours.
They claim a local admitted to stealing their cat Ponyo and kitten bubbles in January, and that their goats were poisoned.
Ms Appleby-Brisco, 51, claims that when she confronted a villager about the mystery deaths, she was told: 'We've taken your pets and you're next
She told The Sun: 'I just couldn't take it anymore, and it was my absolute lowest point.
'I was scared to be in the house on my own so I would hang around the biggest local town all day to feel safe.
On the page, Ms Appleby-Brisco wrote: 'We arrived in Portugal almost eight years ago full of excitement of starting a new, sustainable life. We were followed by the film crew from Channel 4's Our Wildest Dreams as we wanted to inspire others.
'Initially our lives were great, we wanted to integrate locally so didn't mix as much with the expats, put our girls in the village school, bought a little farm on the edge of the village, started to learn the language better, did everything we thought right.
'Little did we know there was a storm of resentment in the village towards us, we had done nothing wrong so why would we even question it.'