4.  The applicants are spouses and they are Slovakian nationals. The first applicant, Mr Ján Sabol, was born in 1927. The second applicant, Ms Mária Sabolová, was born in 1939. They live in Košice. 5.  On 15 January 1988 the applicants claimed before the Košice City Court that the boundary between their plot of land and the plot of their neighbours had not been traced correctly. 6.  On 15 March 1990 the Košice City Court granted the action with reference to an expert opinion. The two parties appealed and the Košice Regional Court quashed the first instance judgment on 31 August 1990. 7.  Upon the instruction of the City Court the applicants amended their action. They claimed that the defendants should put at their disposal a part of a plot of land and that they should remove a gas connection from that land. The City Court ordered a second expert opinion on 8 July 1991 and on 14 October 1991. The expert submitted an opinion on 29 November 1991. 8.  On 13 February 1992 the applicants modified their claim. The defendants proposed to settle the case. On 2 June 1992 the court visited the site. On 30 July 1992 it requested the expert to submit further information. 9.  On 26 November 1992 the defendants filed a counter-action in which they claimed that they should be granted the right to use the part of the land on which the gas connection was built. A hearing was held on 1 January 1993. On 26 February 1993 the second expert submitted an amended version of his opinion at the court's request. 10.  After having taken further extensive evidence the court scheduled a hearing for 15 April 1994. On 29 April 1994 the Košice 1 District Court, by which the case fell to be examined, delivered a judgment ordering the defendants to vacate the plot. The court considered it appropriate not to order the removal of the gas connection in question as it was fixed to the central gas pipe-line belonging to the Slovak Gas Company. It ordered the defendants to pay compensation to the applicants for the use of the part of their land on which the gas connection was built. The judgment was served on the applicants on 21 December 1994. They appealed on 9 January 1995. On 6 March 1995 the applicants were requested to pay the court fee, and the case file was submitted to the appellate court on 11 April 1995. 11.  On 13 February 1996 the Košice Regional Court sent the case back to the first instance court with the instruction to take further evidence. 12.  The District Court heard the parties on 2 April 1996 and on 8 May 1996, and on 22 May 1996 it decided to obtain an expert opinion. On 8 January 1997 it appointed a different expert as the one appointed in May 1996 had been struck out of the list of experts. The District Court returned the case file to the Regional Court, at the latter's request, on 20 January 1997. 13.  On 27 February 1997 the Košice Regional Court quashed a part of the District Court's judgment of 29 April 1994 on the ground that the first instance court had omitted to decide on a part of both the applicants' and defendants' claims. 14.  On 17 April 1997 the District Court asked the defendants to pay an advance on the expert's fees. The defendants paid the sum on 29 April 1997. On 3 October 1997 the District Court sent the case file to the expert. The latter sent it back to the Court, on 21 October 1997, with the explanation that he no longer was registered as an expert. 15.  On 10 November 1997 the Košice 1 District Court appointed another expert with a view to establishing the relevant facts. It sent the file to the expert on 14 May 1998. On 25 May 1998 the expert returned the file to the court with the explanation that he had received no advance on the costs of an opinion. On 10 December 1998 the District Court again sent the file to the expert after having checked, on 7 December 1998, that the court's registry had transferred the sum due. The expert submitted his opinion on 23 December 1998. 16.  On 9 March 1999 the applicants submitted their comments on the opinion. Hearings were scheduled for 9 April 1999, 5 May 1999 and 2 June 1999. The expert was requested to answer the applicants' objections to his opinion. On 2 August 1999 the expert admitted an error which, in his view, did not affect the opinion as a whole. 17.  On 6 October 1999 the case was adjourned at the applicants' request. 18.  On 3 December 1999 the Košice 1 District Court dismissed the applicants' claim that the gas connection be removed from their land. It further ordered the defendants to pay compensation to the applicants for the use of the relevant part of the land on which the gas connection was built. 19.  On 11 and 19 January 2000 the applicants appealed.  On 23 February 2000 the defendants submitted observations on the appeal. The case file was submitted to the Regional Court on 16 March 2000. 20.  On 10 October 2000 the Košice Regional Court upheld the District Court's judgment of 3 December 1999.