Victory for couple told to tear up flowerbed
A COUPLE ordered to rip out their beloved roadside flowerbed after one complaint have now been told the decision is set to be reversed.
Keen gardeners Brian and Sally Williams had tendered the flowers over three decades. However, citing health and safety laws, highways officials told them this week they had seven days to remove the blooms.
Sheffield City Council confirmed it had received a complaint from a neighbour which had been upheld.
A furious response from villagers in the South Yorkshire village of Loxley led to an online petition, which quickly gathered more than 5,000 signatures.
Yesterday, city councillor Jack Scott said the flowerbed looked “great” and assured Brian, 80, and Sally, 69, they could stay. He said: “The decision was overly punitive. I don’t see any circumstances in which the flowerbed will be taken down.”
Despite the news, Mrs Williams said last night: “We’re being guarded as the council has not got in touch. They might say we can keep the flowers for a set amount of time. It could end up more of a sidestep than a U-turn.”
The couple bought the 200-year-old cottage on a single-track lane in 1991.
Mrs Williams said: “When we moved here the road was neglected. It had potholes and grass growing wild. As a keen gardener, I see a bit of neglected land and I just had to smarten it up.”