An unusual property dispute brewing between neighbours along Nova Scotia’s St. Margaret’s Bay involves a well-known entertainer from one of the Maritimes’ wealthiest and most prominent families.

Eleanor McCain brought property in Hacketts Cove, N.S., not far from her mother’s summer home. Her neighbour, Amy Johnson, says the community was fine with that, but their backs went up when McCain blocked land access to a popular local beach.

"It's the main topic of conversation around here,” said Johnson.

The well-worn path cuts right through Johnson’s property, and it's now off-limits.

"I'm feeling pretty heartbroken that somebody would come into the community and take something from someone for absolutely no reason other than selfishness," said Johnson.  

According to the Nova Scotia government, all beaches are owned by the Crown, but access isn't guaranteed. A private landowner has a right to restrict access across his or her property. 

In a statement to CTV News, McCain says she's simply trying to enjoy the property peacefully, but trespassers and vandals have made that impossible.

“Our property has been damaged on a number of occasions,” said McCain in the statement. “This includes garbage being left on our property, damage to plants and trees, and evidence of unsafe fires.”

McCain reiterates that the land is private and the previous owner “took similar measures to prevent unlawful access.”

“We had hoped that by raising this issue in a reasonable manner with those trespassing, they would understand and respect our concerns. But unfortunately, the trespassing and incidents of vandalism have continued,” said McCain in the statement.

“We had no choice but to ask the local police to help us and are very thankful for their assistance in issuing formal warnings to trespassers.”

However, this isn’t sitting well with those who live in the area, who say other entertainers have been more flexible.

"There's another beach right here in Indian Harbour in the next village and that used to belong to Anne Murray when she lived there, and she allowed access to the beach the whole time," said resident Ken Banks.

Johnson is hoping to bring her firstborn to the spot, where she spent a lot of time as a child, but now she thinks that won't happen.

“We felt … nature should be shared, and it's not something that anybody owns: the coastline belongs to everybody," she said.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko