Pensioner’s prized floral display uprooted – after council tells her it’s a safety hazard

For years the award-winning floral display outside Lillian Jackson’s front door was her pride and joy.

But its time in the sun was cut short when council officials declared the pots and hanging baskets were fire safety hazards and had to be removed.

Mrs Jackson, 87, was told the colourful flowers, enjoyed by neighbours for more than 25 years, would hinder an evacuation and the pensioner was forced to move them from outside her maisonette in York.

To make matters worse, the council sent her a letter last month threatening to charge her £842 to have metal gate posts and a hinge removed from the balcony as well.

The great-grandmother, infuriated by the attitude of the ‘health and safety police’, said: ‘We got a letter to say there had to be nothing on the balcony, anything on the balcony would be removed. It was very upsetting.

‘It wasn’t as if the flowers blocked the balcony, you could still get past. It was just that they said it was a fire hazard. It was rubbish, my pots were made of Cotswold stone. I was fuming about it but they all had to go.’

Instructions to clear everything from the communal area were given following the Grenfell fire in west London two years ago. All the neighbours had to ditch their baskets too, Mrs Jackson said. 

For years her award-winning flower display with hanging baskets and pots flowing with colour adorned her the front of her Maisonette in York

Mrs Jackson holding her awards for exceptional flowers, which were deemed a hazard by the council

The retired fashion buyer and her late husband Jim bought their property in 1984 and during the 1990s they won several York in Bloom awards for their floral displays. They were even invited to the city’s Guildhall to have pictures taken with the mayor. 

‘Everybody loved it,’ she said. ‘I was known as ‘Mrs J with the flowers’.’ Officials have now backtracked over the removal of the metal posts, which were left behind after the gate – installed to stop vandals and thieves – was taken away earlier this year.

The gate hinge, which would have cost the pensioner £177 to remove, has been cut away by a friendly neighbour. Now only two small baskets, hanging away from the balcony, remain of the display.

The council insists the safety of residents is its main concern. Tom Brittain, from the council, said: ‘Communal areas have to be completely clear so that everyone can exit their building quickly and safely if a fire occurs…

‘Where we discover hazards, we have a duty to act.’