Metal worker red carded for making Old Firm benches

A METAL worker who made Old Firm-themed benches in his shed has been ordered to stop after a neighbour complained that fumes from the work left him feeling sick.

Ian De Swarte, 56, sold custom-made bench seats for £450 from a unit next to his house in Westfield, West Lothian.

His neighbour, Adam Bennie, 57, was incensed by the noise and smell coming from the workshop and said the Covid lockdown had made the situation worse.

The pair had been at loggerheads for months and police were even contacted after a noise complaint was made earlier this year.

Mr Bennie, a gardener, called in West Lothian Council, which ruled Mr De Swarte’s set-up was against planning laws and ordered the operation to end.

Mr Bennie said his family had been left with ‘sore eyes, headaches and nausea’ because of fumes and at one point he feared he had symptoms of coronavirus.

Mr De Swarte, who said Mr Bennie fell out with him and then ‘started to complain about everything’, appealed to the Scottish Government in a bid to have the decision reversed.

However, officials have backed the council and Mr De Swarte has moved his Iron Man business to an industrial unit in Bathgate, West Lothian.

Government reporter Sue Bell said: ‘Given the nature of the business, which is likely to cause nuisance in a residential setting, and the representations concerning the effect of the business on neighbours, I consider it prudent to maintain the enforcement notice to ensure that the unauthorised business use ceases.’