Planners have rejected a plea by Heather Mills to let her keep a swimming pool built without permission in the grounds of her luxury country estate.

Sir Paul McCartney’s estranged wife landed herself in hot water after splashing out on the 12m x 6.6m below-ground pool without consent from her council.

Planning officers spotted it while visiting Mills’ £3 million mansion in Robertsbridge to see if she had taken down a marquee left up without permission.

Parish councillors backed a recommendation that her bid for retrospective consent for the pool be rejected. They voted for refusal after hearing it lies outside the garden of the property, which served a commercial use as a former orchid nursery.

Parish clerk Karen Ripley said: “Do we want people putting in swimming pools in fields? It’s a very long way from the house.”

Mills is battling to keep the pool on the grounds it could be used by firefighters to extinguish a blaze.

If Rother district councillors refuse to grant retrospective permission Miss Mills could be ordered to demolish the pool.